Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi returned to planet Earth on Monday morning aboard the Dragon capsule of SpaceX, after completing the longest mission for an Arab astronaut on the International Space Station, according to what the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center and the Emirates News Agency, WAM, announced. .
Al Neyadi (41 years old), nicknamed the “Sultan of Space,” left for the International Space Station at the beginning of March in a Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX. He also became the first Arab astronaut to leave the International Space Station for about six hours and thirty minutes.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center said on the “X” platform (formerly Twitter) that the Dragon spacecraft carrying Al Neyadi and his crewmates on board Crew 6 “landed in the water near Florida, United States of America,” attaching the post with footage showing the moment of landing, quoted by the space agency. American (NASA).
The Crew 6 team consists of four astronauts: Al-Neyadi, Americans Stephen Boone and Warren Hoberg, and Russian Andrei Fedyev.
Other scenes also showed Al-Neyadi leaving the vehicle to the rescue ship, waving his hand, then sitting in a wheelchair with the help of two people, in preparation for his transfer to a medical facility to ensure that his health condition is good.
Al Neyadi became the fourth astronaut hailing from an Arab country, and the second Emirati to participate in a space mission after Hazza Al Mansouri, who spent eight days on the International Space Station in September 2019.
Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan wrote on “X”, “My son, Sultan Al Neyadi, thank God for your safe return to Earth after the longest Arab mission in space.” He added, "With the national work teams, you made a historic Emirati achievement and contributed to the service of science and humanity."
The Emirati Prime Minister and Ruler of the Emirate of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, via “X”, congratulated the people of the Emirates on Al Neyadi’s safe return, noting that he “conducted 200 scientific research missions... and spent more than 4,400 hours in space... and inspired millions of Arab youth that we are capable of... Positive contribution to humanity’s scientific and cultural journey.”
Despite its recent entry into the world of space exploration, the wealthy Gulf state is making rapid strides in this field. In February 2021, the UAE’s “Hope” probe entered the orbit of Mars, making the UAE the first Arab country to reach the red planet.
In 1985, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia sent the first Arab and Muslim astronaut into space to participate in a space flight launched from the United States.
