First astronaut from UAE blasts off for ISS alongside astronauts from US, Russia
Hazzaa Al Mansoori made history on Wednesday, becoming
the first Emirati astronaut to be deployed on a space mission to the
International Space Station (ISS).
Al Mansoori was launched on board a Soyuz-MS 15
spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Space Center in Kazakhstan.
Before takeoff Al Mansoori, a native of Abu Dhabi,
asked God to grant him success in the mission.
“A few hours before launch and I’m filled with this
indescribable feeling of glory and awe. Today I carry the dreams and ambition
of my country to a whole new dimension,” Hazzaa Al Mansoori shared on Twitter.
The mission will take eight days, with Al Mansoori
scheduled to land at the ISS on October 3. The landing will be livestreamed
through YouTube and Dubai TV.
Once Al Mansoori reaches the ISS, he will conduct
Earth observation and imaging, participate in the station’s ongoing scientific
missions, and present a tour of the station in Arabic.
Al Mansoori, along with Sultan Al Neyadi, are the
first batch of astronauts from the UAE Astronaut Programme, launched in April
2017 by Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister
of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown
Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
The program’s mission is to train and prepare the
first Emirati astronaut corps to be sent to space for various scientific
missions.
Al Mansoori and Al Neyadi trained in Moscow for the
mission for which Al Mansoori is the main astronaut and Sultan Al Neyadi is his
back up.
Al Mansoori graduated from Khalifa bin Zayed Air
College in 2004 and has 14 years of experience in military avitation.
