UAE astronaut Sultan Al-Neyadi embarks on Arab world’s first spacewalk

UAE astronaut Sultan Al-Neyadi embarks on Arab world’s first spacewalk

DUBAI: UAE astronaut, Sultan Al-Neyadi, is making history on Friday as he becomes the first Arab astronaut to perform a spacewalk.

The spacewalk 408km above the earth’s surface makes him the highest flying Arab national in history.

Al-Neyadi, 41, ventured outside the International Space Station with astronaut Stephen Bowen for six-and-a-half hours. Their mission involves replacing communication hardware installed on the exterior of the orbiting science laboratory. Al-Neyadi is wearing what is known as an EMU spacesuit which is specially designed for spacewalks and is made with up to 16 layers of material.

He joins an elite group of just 259 astronauts to have stepped outside the ISS since its construction began in 1998.