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Emirati astronaut responds to UAE Rulers on Twitter, vows to raise nation's flag high in space

'My selection as the first Arab astronaut for a long-duration mission is a great honour,' he says

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Sultan AlNeyadi has promised to raise the “UAE flag high in space” hours after it was announced that he would become the first Arab astronaut to spend six months on the International Space Station (ISS).

Sharing the tweet of the UAE President, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, AlNeyadi said: “Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Your Highness. My selection as the first Arab astronaut for a long-duration mission is a great honour.”

He also shared the tweet posted by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, saying: “Thank you for your unwavering support and faith, Your Highness. I pledge to give my all in order for the UAE to succeed in this historic mission.”

The Emirati will be part of a Nasa-SpaceX mission that will take off in the spring of 2023. The SpaceX Crew-6 mission is scheduled for launch from Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre.

AlNeyadi has undergone multiple spaceflight training programmes, including long-range ones, since 2018. “AlNeyadi would have been in training for nearly five years by the time of the mission's launch,” tweeted MBRSC director-general Salem AlMarri. “This (mission) will strengthen cooperation with Nasa and allow us to complete long-term experiments aboard the ISS.”

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