Speaking at an event unveiling details of the launch at Dubai's Museum of the Future, al-Mansoori said: "Guided by the vision of our wise leadership, the UAE's space sector has grown significantly over the past decade, with major achievements, including the Emirates Mars Mission, the Emirates Lunar Mission and the upcoming first long-duration Arab astronaut mission.
As we look to the future, we are committed to building on this momentum and expanding the capabilities of our space program and our astronauts."
"As part of the UAE Astronaut Program, we have created a sustainable ecosystem that is set to further enhance our understanding of space. Moreover, from uncrewed planetary missions, we are building on the possibility of crewed missions to space and beyond."
The mission will make the UAE the 11th country to send astronauts on a long-duration mission to the ISS as well as train and prepare them for spacewalks.
