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SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft Prepares For February 27 Flight

Sultan Al-Neyadi from the United Arab Emirates will join Crew-6 astronauts to travel to the International Space Station for a six month mission.

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spacex dragon spacecraft prepares for february 27 flight
SpaceX

The SpaceX Dragon astronaut shuttle Endeavour has been positioned at launch pad 39A of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida as engineers prepare for this weekend’s scheduled flight to the International Space Station (ISS).

At 1:45 AM EDT (06:45 GMT) on February 27th, Endeavour will blast off atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to commence the Crew-6 mission. Crew-6 is a team of four astronauts who will travel to the International Space Station for around 6 months and is composed of Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, US astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg from NASA, and UAE’s astronaut Sultan Al-Neyadi.

united arab emirates astronaut sultan al-neyadi

When Al-Neyadi’s trip to the ISS is complete, he’ll become the first Arab astronaut to complete an extended stay at the station, beating Hazzaa Ali Almansoori’s 2019 eight-day mission.

Also Read: Emirates Is Preparing To Build A $135 Million Pilot-Training Facility

Endeavour will dock with the ISS on the morning of February 29th. After that, another Dragon spacecraft will return to earth with outgoing NASA astronauts Josh Cassada and Nicole Mann, Japan’s Koichi Wakata, and Russia’s Anna Kikinapa.

The Crew-6 mission will be the Endeavour spacecraft’s fourth trip to the ISS. SpaceX’s first crewed trip took place in 2020, followed by Crew-2 in 2021 and Ax-1 in April 2022, the first privately crewed journey to the ISS.

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Rabbit Expands Hyperlocal Delivery Service In Saudi Arabia

The e-commerce startup is aiming to tap into the Kingdom’s underdeveloped e-grocery sector with a tech-first, locally rooted strategy.

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rabbit expands hyperlocal delivery service in saudi arabia
Rabbit

Rabbit, an Egyptian-born hyperlocal e-commerce startup, is expanding into the Saudi Arabian market, setting its sights on delivering 20 million items across major cities by 2026.

The company, founded in 2021, is already operational in the Kingdom, with its regional headquarters now open in Riyadh and an established network of strategically located fulfillment centers — commonly known as “dark stores” — across the capital.

The timing is strategic: Saudi Arabia’s online grocery transactions currently sit at 1.3%, notably behind the UAE (5.3%) and the United States (4.8%). With the Kingdom’s food and grocery market estimated at $60 billion, even a modest increase in online adoption could create a multi-billion-dollar opportunity.

Rabbit also sees a clear alignment between its business goals and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which aims to boost retail sector innovation, support small and medium-sized enterprises, attract foreign investment, and develop a robust digital economy.

The company’s e-commerce model is based on speed and efficiency. Delivery of anything from groceries and snacks to cosmetics and household staples is promised in 20 minutes or less, facilitated by a tightly optimized logistics system — a crucial component in a sector where profit margins and delivery expectations are razor-thin.

Despite the challenges, Rabbit has already found its stride in Egypt. In just over three years, the app has been used by 1.4 million customers to deliver more than 40 million items. Revenue has surged, growing more than eightfold in the past two years alone.

Also Read: Top E-Commerce Websites In The Middle East In 2025

CEO and Co-Founder Ahmad Yousry commented: “We are delighted to announce Rabbit’s expansion into the Kingdom. We pride ourselves on being a hyperlocal company, bringing our bleeding-edge tech and experience to transform the grocery shopping experience for Saudi households, and delivering the best products – especially local favorites, in just 20 minutes”.

The company’s growth strategy avoids the pitfalls of over-reliance on aggressive discounting. Instead, Rabbit leans on operational efficiency, customer retention, and smart scaling. The approach is paying off, having already attracted major investment from the likes of Lorax Capital Partners, Global Ventures, Raed Ventures, and Beltone Venture Capital, alongside earlier investors such as Global Founders Capital, Goodwater Capital, and Hub71.

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