Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, said on the X platform said, “My son, Sultan Al Neyadi, thank God for your safe return to Earth after the longest Arab mission in space. Together with the national work teams, you made a historic Emirati achievement and contributed to the service of science and humanity. With all of you, our ambitions in the field of space are great and continuous. Science is our weapon, and the efforts of our children are our asset. Success is from God.”

Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed also wrote, “@Astro_AlNeyadi, the people of the UAE are immensely proud of you and the entire team for achieving major advances in space exploration. You carried the dreams of a nation to new frontiers, and we celebrate your pioneering journey and safe return.”

Four astronauts returned to Earth early on Monday after a six-month stay at the International Space Station.

Sultan Al Neyadi

Their SpaceX capsule parachuted into the Atlantic off the Florida coast.

Returning were NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren "Woody” Hoburg, Russia's Andrei Fedyaev and the United Arab Emirates' Sultan al-Neyadi, the first person from the Arab world to spend an extended time in orbit.