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Sultan Al Neyadi Becomes The First Ever Arab To Spacewalk
The astronaut is on a 6-month mission aboard the International Space Station, orbiting 400 km above Earth.
At 17:41 GST on April 28, Sultan Al Neyadi entered the record books as the first Arab to walk in space. Al Neyadi, who arrived at the International Space Station on March 3 as part of a six-month mission, conducted a 6.5-hour spacewalk with American astronaut Stephen Bowen to carry out maintenance tasks and prepare for a solar array installation.
بعد ٣ سنوات من التدريب المكثف .. رأينا اليوم سلطان النيادي في أول مهمة للسير في الفضاء الخارجي.. وتنفيذ مهمات لتركيب أجزاء جديدة وإجراء صيانة في محطة الفضاء الدولية .. أول إماراتي .. أول عربي .. أول مسلم .. يسير في الفضاء الخارجي .. فخورين بذلك .
يقولون بأن ثلثي نجوم السماء… pic.twitter.com/acxJvVGNDy— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) April 28, 2023
UAE President and ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid, was quick to tweet about Al Neyadi’s achievement: “With this week’s discoveries by the Hope probe, the achievements of the Rashid rover mission, and Sultan Al Neyadi’s first-ever spacewalk by an Arab astronaut, the UAE continues to make a meaningful contribution to space exploration and advancements in science”.
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Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid noted that the astronaut was both the first Arab and first Muslim to walk in space before tweeting some inspiring words to his followers: “Arabs are capable… Arabs are coming… Arabs are creative if we decide to focus on science and invest in youth”.
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UAE Prepares To Launch Two Satellites: Thuraya-2 And MBZ-SAT
HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council yesterday.
HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council in Dubai on December 16, 2024. The session highlighted the UAE’s ambitious space plans and took stock of the sector’s economic progress.
The council emphasized the growing role of private companies in advancing space technologies, noting that their contributions are now equal to that of the public sector. Members also praised initiatives like the Space Economic Zones Programme, which are designed to fuel innovation and investment in the space industry.
خلال ترؤسنا الاجتماع الأول للمجلس الأعلى للفضاء، بحثنا الاستثمارات الوطنية والمشاريع المقبلة في قطاع الفضاء والذي يشهد تطوراً مستمراً… وجددنا التزامنا بدعم ومواصلة تنفيذ برامج طموحة لاستكشاف الفضاء الخارجي حيث وصل حجم الاستثمارات في هذا القطاع إلى 40 مليار درهم خلال السنوات… pic.twitter.com/etJ33OnuSu
— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) December 16, 2024
Discussing the UAE’s space journey, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum remarked, “The national space sector continues to grow and advance, and we take immense pride in the remarkable achievements we have accomplished over the years”.
Sheikh Hamdan also received updates on two upcoming satellite projects: Thuraya-2 and MBZ-SAT. Thuraya-2, developed by Space42, is slated for launch this December. Meanwhile, the MBZ-SAT, created by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), will soon follow. MBRSC, a major driver of the UAE National Space Programme, continues to lead the nation’s space-related developments.
Space42 took the opportunity to showcase its advancements, including ongoing collaborations between public and private entities. The company also outlined strategies to promote innovation, boost revenue streams, and create new opportunities for growth in the sector.
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The UAE’s current projects build on a growing legacy of space exploration. Back in 2020, the nation made headlines with its Mars mission, successfully sending a probe into the planet’s orbit in 2021. This mission, which is now in its second phase as of June 2024, has been collecting critical data to develop a comprehensive diurnal image of Mars.
The UAE also ventured into lunar exploration with an unmanned mission aimed at studying untouched regions of the Moon’s surface. While the probe ultimately crashed during its landing attempt after communication was lost seconds before touchdown, the effort represented a significant step in the country’s exploration ambitions.