UAE to send astronaut to Space Station for 180 days

UAE to send astronaut to Space Station for 180 days

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said: "We launched the ‘UAE Astronaut programme’ more than five years ago… The UAE sent the first Arab astronaut on a historic trip to the International Space Station... Today we announce a new cooperation between the UAE and the US to send an Emirati astronaut on the first long-term mission aboard the International Space Station.”

New milestone

HH Sheikh Mohammed added: “Signing the agreement to send the first Arab astronaut in a long-term mission of 180 days to the International Space Station is a new milestone for the UAE space sector. The UAE will be among 11 countries in the world that carried out long-term space missions."

HH Sheikh Mohammed said: “Our space sector is constantly evolving. The new mission will add new experiences and knowledge to the Emirati astronaut and the scientific community as the UAE continues its ambitions in the space sector.”

The deal will further strengthen collaboration between the MBRSC and the American space agency NASA, as the two entities will collaborate extensivly over the duration of the 6-month mission. MBRSC currently has four Astronauts training at NASA’s Johnson Space Centre