Launch date of the UAE astronaut in space

On April 5, 2019, the first UAE astronaut will visit the International Space Station and return on April 16, according to the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC).

Salem Al Marri, UAE Astronaut Program Manager, confirmed these dates Khaleej Times.

Hazza Al Mansouri and Sultan Al Niyadi were announced as the country's first two astronauts earlier this month and are currently in Russia to train. Only one of them will be chosen to travel to the ISS aboard the Russian space shuttle Soyuz MS-12 for the 12-day trip. He will be joined by a Russian commander and an American flight engineer.

"We are all excited and busy working to have our team ready for the mission in April, a lot of hard work and dedication has been devoted to this and much more to come, especially candidates during the training," said Al Marri . Khaleej Times September 29th.

The astronaut who will be selected as the first to head to the space will be announced later this year.

The two astronauts come from different professional backgrounds. Al Mansouri is a military fighter pilot and has 14 years of experience in military aviation. In 2016, he qualified to become an aeronautical pilot and now pilot an F-16B60 aircraft.

Meanwhile, Al Niyadi holds a Ph.D. in data loss prevention technology from Griffith University in Australia, as well as a master's degree in information security and networks from the same university. He also holds a Bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering and Communication from the University of Brighton in the United Kingdom.

The MBRSC launched the United Arab Emirates astronaut program in late 2017 and received 4,022 UAE nominations.

The last two astronauts have conducted six phases of medical, psychological and advanced medical tests, a series of interviews – in cooperation with NASA – as well as advanced medical tests by the Russian space agency Roscosmos.

When the two astronauts were announced, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai, tweeted: "Hazza and Sultan represent a new stage for young people new generations after them: our dreams embrace space and we are proud of our youth, and our future rests on solid scientific foundations.

"We have the only Mars probe program in the region, our satellite industry has realized its full potential, we have UAE astronauts, we have a space industry worth 20 billion dirhams and aspirations without. limits … can reach for the stars. "

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