Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi (left) with the rest of the crew. MOHAMMED BIN RASHID SPACE CENTRE

UAE mission to space postponed

UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi’s mission to space was postponed on Monday (February 27) following a technical issue with the ground systems. Al Neyadi was scheduled to blast off on a 25-hour journey to the International Space Station (ISS) from Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral in Florida, USA. Following the mission’s postponement, which was announced two minutes before liftoff, Al Neyadi and three other astronauts safely disembarked the spacecraft. According to NASA and SpaceX, another launch attempt is scheduled on Thursday (March 2) "pending resolution of the technical issue preventing Monday’s launch". The Emirati astronaut will be spending 180 days onboard the ISS together with astronauts from NASA and Russia. It will be the longest Arab space mission in history. Meanwhile, Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum shared messages of support saying “our ambitions remain high” despite the postponement of the launch. Sheikh Hamdan was at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai to view the live telecast of the launch. The UAE’s space programme was launched in 2017, and a year later, the country announced its first astronauts Hazzaa Al Mansoori and Al Neyadi. ICA/Expat Media
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