‘Son of the Emirates’ praised as he takes off for historic space mission

Following the successful launch of Emirati astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi’s space mission, the president and vice president of the UAE issued words of congratulations expressing their pride.

“I join the nation in congratulating Sultan AlNeyadi as he begins his pioneering mission aboard the International Space Station,” tweeted the President, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. “His inspiring achievement is a source of great pride to the UAE and another milestone in the journey of our nation and the ambitions of our people.”

Vice-President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum also expressed his delight in the launch of AlNeyadi, the first extended space mission from an Arab nation.

Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the crown prince of Dubai, saw the launch at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center.

AlNeyadi and his Crew-6 coworkers Stephen Bowen, Warren Hoburg, and Andrey Fedyaev were aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft Endeavour when it successfully entered orbit earlier today.

Neyadi, 41, is the fourth astronaut from an Arab country and the second from the oil-rich UAE to journey to space; his compatriot Hazzaa al-Mansoori flew an eight-day mission in 2019.

Crew-6 will dock at the space station on Friday morning after a 24.5-hour journey.