DUBAI: At exactly 5:57 p.m. local time on Wednesday, the first Emirati astronaut, Hazzaa AlMansoori, blasted off to space from the launch pad of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
His historic mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will be a giant leap for the UAE’s burgeoning national space programme, led by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre.
AlMansoori is part of the three-member crew of Expedition 61. With him are Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka as Commander and NASA astronaut Jessica Meir as Flight Engineer 1.
The three was on board the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft, which was raised to the vertical position on the launch site days before the actual lift off. It is the same historic facility from which Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin departed in 1961 to become the first human in space.
The 35-year-old Emirati astronaut will stay aboard the space laboratory for eight days. He is scheduled to return on October 3.
Hours before lift off
In Baikonur, AlMansoori bid a temporary farewell to his family as he, along with Skripochka and Meir, headed for the spacesuit donning. A very touching scenario caught the crowd’s attention when his proud kids reached for him as they wave goodbye to each other.
The first ever Emirati to raise the UAE flag in space took his excitement to Twitter mere hours before for his historic mission today.
“A few hours before launch and I’m filled with this indescribable feeling of glory and awe. Today I carry the dreams and ambition of my country to a whole new dimension,” he penned.
“May Allah grant me success in this mission. Your brother, Hazzaa Al Mansoori,” he added.
Main and backup crew
Last April 12, the MBRSC announced AlMansoori to be the prime astronaut and Sultan Al Neyadi as the backup astronaut for Expedition 61.
AlMansoori was a former military pilot flying the F-16 jet. He bested 4,022 candidates to become the UAE’s first representative to the ISS.
The Abu Dhabi-based astronaut completed his Bachelor of Aviation Science degree from Khalifa bin Zayed Air College in 2004.
Along with Russian commander Sergey Ryzhikov and NASA’s Thomas Marshburn, meanwhile, the 38-year-old Al Neyadi will be on standby at the Baikonur to take over in case of emergency. Before becoming an astronaut, Al Neyadi served as a military network security engineer in the UAE Armed Forces.
Both AlMansoori and Al Neyadi are married with four children.
The mission
Aboard the ISS, he will study the impact of microgravity apart from his daily tasks in the ISS.
“By living in the International Space Station… it will give us more knowledge and more understanding of how we can go beyond this. To go to the Moon and to Mars eventually,” AlMansoori said at a NASA press conference in July.
“I am looking forward to coming back with knowledge and experience to share with everyone in my region,” he added.
AlMansoori hopes to inspire his entire nation as well by hoisting UAE flag inside the ISS.
“I applied for the program because I had a dream as a boy and our leaders encourage us to achieve our dreams,” he said.
With his mission, the UAE becomes the 19th visiting country to the space lab. But this is just the beginning. Led by MBRSC, the UAE pushes to conduct more scientific research in space.
The Soyuz FG, carrying the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft, was emblazoned with UAE flag and MBRSC logo. It will be the 144th flight of a Soyuz spacecraft.
A proud nation
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, congratulated AlMansoori for becoming the first Emirati in space.
On Twitter the Vice President wrote: “Hazza AlMansouri’s entry to space sends a message to Arab youth that we can march forward, that we can keep pace with the rest of the world. Our next station is Mars through the Hope Probe, competently designed by our Emirati youth.”
Meanwhile, the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince said: “I proudly watched as Hazza AlMansouri lifted off into space. This event strengthens our confidence in our youth who will take our nation to new heights and reinforce our ambitions for the future. We pray for Hazza’s success and his safe return home.”
