UAE announces details of first long-duration Arab astronaut mission

Dubai's Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) have announced the details of the second crewed mission of the UAE Astronaut Program to the International Space Station (ISS), Set to launch on February 26th at 11.07am, the mission marks the first long-duration Arab astronaut mission with Sultan al-Neyadi as the primary astronaut and Hazzaa al-Mansoori as the backup. Dubbed as Crew-6, the mission will launch aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Along with Emirati astronaut Sultan al-Neyadi as the Mission Specialist, the crew includes NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, state news agency WAM reported on Thursday. 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.