The Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) announced on Friday that it had selected Hazza Al Mansouri as the prime astronaut for September 25th’s eight-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS) - in an announcement that will make him the first Emirati in space and the first Arab aboard the ISS.
Al Mansouri had been one of two short-listed for high level training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Star City, Russia in preparation for this mission along with Sultan Al Neyadi, however Al Neyadi will now become the backup astronaut for this mission.
A Soyuz-MS 15 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan will transport Al Mansouri into space on September 25 and he will return to earth aboard a Soyuz-MS 12 on October 3 with his name in the history books.
Yousuf Hamad Al Shaibani, Director General of MBRSC, stressed that this announcement is a major step towards achieving the objectives of the UAE Astronaut Programme to train and prepare a team of Emiratis to be sent to space for various scientific missions.
The programme was announced by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, in 2017.
Al Shaibani highlighted that Al Mansouri and Al Neyadi are positive role models for Emirati youth. The two astronauts will inspire the country’s youth to follow in their footsteps by utilising the resources provided by the UAE leadership, motivate younger generations to explore and innovate, and help prepare generations of Emiratis to contribute to enhancing the UAE’s status in space science and research, as part of the UAE’s plans and programmes in the space sector and its ambitious aspirations to transform itself into a knowledge-based economy.
Salem Al Marri, Assistant Director General for Science and Technology Sector and Head of the UAE Astronaut Programme, said that the advanced levels of proficiency achieved by Al Mansouri and Al Neyadi shows that Emirati youth have the determination and ambition to succeed in all fields. He highlighted that MBRSC continues to invest in Emirati youth to push this sector forward.
SOURCE : GULFNEWS