The long wait is finally over! After months of rigorous training here and overseas, one of the two Emirati astronauts who participated in a prestigious space training programme in Russia will be named as the first Emirati astronaut to fly to space later this year.
There was much hype and anticipation as two Emirati astronauts have been named to join an intensive space training programme in Russia in preparation for a space mission to the International Space Station (ISS), which was initially scheduled to push through early this year.
First Emirati Astronaut Set to Fly to Space in September
The UAE’s first Emirati astronaut will be flying to space on September 25 for an eight-day mission at the International Space Station (ISS), as shared in a report by Russia’s state-owned news agency, Sputnik. As per the report, the first Emirati astronaut will be on board the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft with his team for the space travel.
The report revealed that based on a new schedule released, the launch of the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft has been moved to September 25. Notably, the duration of the first Emirati astronaut’s mission, and the landing of the Soyuz MS-12 remaining unchanged, the duration for the space travel will be eight days until October 3, as opposed to the initial plan of ten days.
No confirmation as per the changes in the space travel details has been released by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai as of press time. However, the aforementioned space centre will be holding an event on Monday (February 25), to officially announce the name of the chosen astronaut, as well as further details on the space mission.
As per the Sputnik, nine candidates from the UAE visited in Russia back in July 2018 to undergo medical screening and simulation training.
In September, two candidates, Hazza Mansouri and Sultan Niyadi, were named as official participants of the programme and proceeded with their training in the Moscow region. Later this month, one of the two will be named as the first ever Emirati astronaut from the UAE to fly to the ISS.
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