Mohamed Bin Zayed visits Emirati astronaut Sultan Neyadi, checks on preparations for long-term mission to ISS

President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Monday visited Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi at his home in Umm Ghafa, Al Ain.

Sheikh Mohamed exchanged friendly conversations with Al Neyadi and his family, and expressed his pride in the UAE people, who continue to develop their skills and decorate UAE's track record with new qualitative achievements.

Sheikh Mohamed checked on Al Neyadi's preparations for his next mission to the International Space Station (ISS), which will last for six months, making him the first Arab astronaut to undertake such mission.

Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed affirmed that the UAE will continue to advance its position in various scientific fields, especially modern science, artificial intelligence and advanced technology, powered by the will and abilities of its people. He also commended the determination that Al Neyadi has shown in his quest to add to the UAE's accomplishments, and expressed his full confidence in Al Neyadi's ability to log a new success story in the pages of the UAE's history.

For his part, Al Neyadi expressed his delight and pride at the visit of Sheikh Mohamed, praising His Highness' keenness to personally follow up on his preparations.

He expressed his appreciation for the wise leadership's confidence in his ability to represent the UAE, stressing that he is fully prepared to make his mission a first-of-its-kind success for the Arab world.

Accompanying His Highness Sheikh Mohamed on his visit were Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court, and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Advisor for Special Affairs at the Presidential Court.

Sultan Al Neyadi had served a backup astronaut to Hazza Al Mansouri on the UAE’s first mission to space (dubbed 'Zayed’s Ambition') aboard the ISS in September 2019. He is one of the top graduates of the first batch of the UAE Astronaut Programme, which was launched in 2017 to train a team of Emirati astronauts, and send them into space to carry out various scientific missions.

WAM