Dubai: The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) reached a significant milestone on 28th April 2023 as astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi successfully completed a spacewalk on the International Space Station (ISS) during Expedition 69.
This achievement positions Mr. AlNeyadi as the first Arab to undertake a spacewalk, underscoring the UAE’s growing role in space exploration and paving the way for further Arab participation in this field.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, praised Sultan AlNeyadi’s achievement as the first Emirati, Arab, and Muslim astronaut to successfully undertake a spacewalk after three years of rigorous training.
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
During the mission, AlNeyadi completed a series of tasks outside the International Space Station, marking a historic moment for the UAE’s burgeoning space program.
In a historic achievement, Sultan AlNeyadi completed the first Arab spacewalk lasting 7.01 hours on the starboard side of the International Space Station’s truss structure. The spacewalk, carried out alongside NASA Flight Engineer Stephen Bowen, successfully achieved two key objectives.
The first objective involved routing power cables as a precursor to the installation of the International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array (iROSA) during the upcoming SpaceX Dragon cargo mission. The second objective was the retrieval of a crucial Radio Frequency Group (RFG) unit, although it will remain bolted to the station for the time being due to the challenges of removal.