Sultan Al Neyadi undergoes a training session.

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi will be the first Arab astronaut to spend 6 months at International Space Station.

Al Neyadi is scheduled for a mission in 2023.

UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan congratulated Sultan Al Neyadi after being selected for the mission.

Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed said, “I am proud to congratulate Sultan Al Neyadi on being selected as the 1st Arab astronaut to spend 6 months on the International Space Station as part of a mission to commence in 2023. This historic milestone builds on the strong foundations of the UAE’s burgeoning space programme.”

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announced on twitter that Sultan Al Neyadi would be the first Arab astronaut to spend six month in a mission in the International Space Station in 2023, praising efforts of the Emirati youths to put the UAE in the top positions in various areas.

Sheikh Mohammed said on twitter, “Out of a group of Emirati astronauts at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center, Sultan Al Neyadi has been chosen to be the first Arab astronaut, who will spend a 6-month-long mission in the International Space Station next year, God willing.”

In preparation for the mission, Al Neyadi began his training on Sept.3, 2018, at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre at Star City in Moscow, based on an agreement with Roscosmos.

He also received training in Houston in Texas, and Cologne in Germany, as part of partnership agreements with major space agencies, including NASA, ESA, and JAXA.

Al Neyadi was also trained on the spacesuit, weighing up to 10 kg and how to wear at zero gravity.

Al Neyadi was also trained to perform daily tasks such as preparing food, how to use the camera to document events, taking pictures of the Earth, communicating with the ground stations, and other day-to-day tasks during the mission. AlNeyadi underwent more than 90 courses, with the total number of training hours exceeding 1,400 hours.

Al Neyadi was born on May 23, 1981, in Umm Ghafa, 30 kilometers southeast of Al Ain, in Abu Dhabi, where he received primary and secondary education.

He excelled in his education, following his father’s footsteps, who served in the military. He joined the armed forces and was assigned to study Communications Engineering.

He began his higher education in the UK, and received a bachelor’s degree of Science in Electronics and Communications Engineering from the University of Brighton in the UK. He returned to the UAE and began serving for the Armed Forces.