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ABU DHABI, 24th April, 2023 (WAM) — Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi entered space with a crew of three aboard a SpaceX rocket Falcon 9 last month on a six-month mission, a local newspaper said. Station, an international space mission, marks a landmark moment for the UAE.
“His journey has been widely followed not only by the people of the UAE, but by the entire Arab world,” The National said in an editorial on Monday.
In terms of national pride, the March expedition followed a mission by Al Neyadi’s fellow astronaut Hazza Al Mansouri, who became the first Emirati in space during an eight-day trip in 2019. The two Emirati astronauts trained together for more than three years and call each other brothers.
This week, April 28, Al Neyadi will attempt a spacewalk. If he succeeds, he will be the first Arab astronaut to step into space. NASA and the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) will broadcast the work live.
The paper added: “The spacewalk is challenging and daunting – not least because it is carried out in a spacesuit weighing up to 27kg and floating in microgravity. But there are other reasons that could lead to next week’s historic.”
Space science experiments have been underway since the launch last month, with more than 20 different experiments planned with UAE and international universities for the six-month ISS mission. But in terms of the scope of some of these experiments, this week will be the busiest, as they are fraught with complexity and always an opportunity to be reasonably delayed due to safety concerns.
Before the spacewalk, a more technically complex operation is planned for tomorrow, the moon landing attempt of the UAE Rashid probe. It is expected to touch down on the lunar surface at 8:40 p.m. on April 25. While this is a tenuous operation with no sure chance of success, it must be acknowledged that the UAE’s space program – which has reached this advanced point – has come a long way.
As Hamad Al Marzooqi, Emirates’ Lunar Mission Manager, puts it, “It’s a risky business, but again, it’s not over yet. At MBRSC, we have a plan for what’s next. If we can call it a trial, yes Yes, maybe it was an experiment … but we’ll have a second and a third.” Of all the countries that have attempted the feat, only the United States, the former Soviet Union and China have achieved a soft landing on the lunar surface. “
The fact remains that, whether or not this particular attempt to land a rover on the moon is successful, there will be a lot to be learned from this mission that will advance space research and inform future lunar expeditions.
“This is a helpful reminder to remember that when it comes to large, long-term national projects such as space travel and space research, achievements can be immediate and the UAE is well aware of this. However, likewise, they also take time and accumulate slowly — as the old adage goes, success may be needed in trial and error,” concluded the Abu Dhabai-based daily.
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