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The UAE is set to make a historical achievement early next year after it sends its first Emirati astronaut into outer space.
The astronaut will jet off to the International Space Station (ISS) in April of next year as part of the UAE's ongoing efforts to further promote space exploration.
Later this year, the astronaut for the 10-day-long mission will be selected and will fly into space on board the Russia's Soyuz spacecraft to reach the ISS. The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre signed an agreement with the Russian Space Agency ROSCOSMOS on June 20 regarding this mission.
"The UAE has signed a historic agreement to send the first UAE astronaut in the coming months to the International Space Station. The UAE is capable of embracing space. Our vision, which we started 12 years ago to develop the national space sector, is beginning to bear fruit," His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, tweeted yesterday.
"Emirates vision of space is beginning to be completed through the manufacture of the Mars probe, the completion of the first national full-fledged satellite manufacturing complex, the training of Emirati astronauts, and the acquisition of an integrated scientific and research system. In 2021, we will celebrate 50 years of our nation and we will deliver our achievement to future generations so that their dreams can always begin from the heavens."
Salem Al Marri, the director general of the MBSRC, spoke to Khaleej Times and said the astronaut will take off from Russia in April. He said the agreement with the Russian Space Agency means the mission has been selected, however, the astronaut that will go on this mission will be chosen later this year.
"The mission has been selected but we are in the process of going through the astronaut selection, which we plan to complete in the next two weeks to a month. Then, we'll select our astronaut core of four astronauts, which we previously stated. After that, we will choose the primary and backup for this mission. Then, they will go into training for this specific mission which will happen in April," Al Marri said.
He also pointed out that the training for the astronaut core will depend on the type of mission he or she will be assigned.
"As we have an astronaut core of four astronauts, and depending on the types of missions that they have, there is a level of training. For a 10-day mission, they will be trained for eight to nine months. For a stay of a month or longer, they'll be trained for a longer period of time," Al Marri said.
The agreement has caused "excitement" at the MBRSC and in the rest of the UAE, according to Al Marri, as this will be the first time an Emirati will travel into space.
"People can actually see the first steps of our mission and that is really exciting for not only them, but for everyone at the space centre as well. The atmosphere has been great and we're really excited as this is quite historical," he said.
Key points of the mission
Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre signed an agreement with the Russian Space Agency, ROSCOSMOS
The Emirati astronaut will jet into space on board the Russian Soyuz spacecraft
The mission will take off in April, 2019
The mission will take off from Russia
It will be a 10-day mission at the International Space Station
The astronaut core of four will be chosen later this year
The astronaut for this specific mission will also be chosen later this year
Training for a 10-day mission can last up to eight to nine months, according to Al Marri
This will be the first Emirati astronaut ever to go into space
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