UAE's Sultan Al Neyadi To Be The First Arab Astronaut to Join International Space Station

Sultan Al Neyadi will become the first Arab astronaut to spend six months on the International Space Station. The Emirati astronaut will be part of a mission that begins in 2023!

With this, the UAE will proceed to be the 11th country in history to spend a long-term mission to space – a milestone achievement considering that the country is relatively new in the sector.

UAE President, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan took his social media to congratulate the Emirati astronaut:

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Your Highness. My selection as the first Arab astronaut for a long-duration mission is a great honour and responsibility that I accept with a strong desire to raise the UAE flag high in space once more. https://t.co/0GCMvQz0qg
— Sultan AlNeyadi (@Astro_Alneyadi) July 25, 2022

Sultan AlNeyadi was one of the first two astronauts from the UAE. He served as the backup for Hazzaa AlMansoorti for the country’s first mission to the ISS in September 2019.

AlNeyadi and AlMansoori were selected from 4,022 candidates to become the first Emirati astronauts after a series of tests.

This massive achievement has occurred due to UAE signing an agreement back in April, to send the first Arab astronaut for a 182-day mission to the ISS.