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The effort will make the country one of only 11 countries sending astronauts on long-duration space missions
The six-month mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will conduct some 250 scientific experimental studies, including at least 20 scientific experiments conducted by Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi in the orbiting laboratory.
NASA said the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon Endeavor spacecraft are scheduled to launch from Space Station 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. The launch site launches into space.
Al Neyadi will make his first space trip on behalf of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre.
In addition to Al Neyadi, other members of SpaceX Crew-6 are NASA commander Stephen Bowen, pilot William Hoburg and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.
Speaking at a NASA virtual press conference, MBRSC Director General Salem Humaid Al Marri expressed confidence that Al Neyadi, who will serve as Expedition 69 flight engineer, will contribute effectively to the upcoming mission.
He said: “If we [the UAE] see what we’re going to do [on] During this flight, Sudan will conduct more than 20 scientific experiments at universities and institutions in the UAE, as well as more than 15 other activities with university students, leadership and various participants (in the UAE and globally), which we believe will Make a big impact.but we also have a lot of education[al] Activities for the kids, and a lot of different elements of operations that we’ll be coordinating with NASA. “
He added, “Sudan is a very capable astronaut and he has been training [with] NASA for the past three years. In total, he trained for more than five years. He was a backup to Emirati astronaut Hazzaa Al Mansouri and has been through the entirety of such missions. He is also competent and fully trained in extravehicular activities and fully trained in the operation of the International Space Station. We hope he will be very active in this flight. “
The mission will make the UAE one of only 11 countries to send astronauts on long-duration space missions.
Steve Stitch, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, sheds light on the final checks as the mission prepares to take off, saying next year will be a busy one.
He said, “A lot of the hardware is already at Kennedy Space Center as we get into the final stages. Dragon is being processed. It’s going through those final checkouts. This weekend, the crew is going to go down and inspect that spacecraft, look inside and all thing [its] system. “
He added: “We have almost all of the Falcon9 hardware at the Cape of Good Hope for this flight. The first phase is still going through final processing in McGregor, Texas; The hardware is all ready for flight and finally all the parts are coming together. Our NASA and SpaceX teams are doing a final review of all the data from the flight. We are closing down any flight anomalies on other missions. I am very proud of the team we have Proud. We’ve been working really hard, even from the holidays into the new year, to prepare for Crew 6.”
Sarah Walker, Director of SpaceX Dragon Mission Management, said of the first crewed spaceflight mission in 2023: “This is the start of an exciting year for the International Space Station. With Dragon Crew 6, this is SpaceX’s first Eight human spaceflight missions to the International Space Station and the 34th Dragon mission to the orbiting laboratory. It was an honor to work with Stephen, William, Andre and Sudan and we look forward to supporting them in the weeks to come To the International Space Station.”
Reflecting on the disaster of the space shuttle Columbia two decades ago, Kathyrn Leuders, associate administrator of NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, emphasized: “To our NASA family For many, this week is usually a time of solemnity and contemplation, and yesterday marked Columbia University’s 20th anniversary.
Tomorrow is our anniversary [is just one of multiple reminders] For us, we need to be vigilant in human spaceflight and continue to recognize that we take the safety of our crews into our own hands. So, we’re really entering a very critical moment now in our joint operations, I would say, one of the busiest increments in the history of the space station. A series of key missions are coming, including our six-man launch. “
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