Ras Al Khaimah to host live interaction with Emirati astronaut Al Neyadi

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), in partnership with the General Secretariat of Ras Al Khaimah’s Executive Council, will hold the next edition of ‘A Call from Space’, an exclusive event featuring Emirati astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi, in Ras Al Khaimah on Wednesday, 14th June at 2pm. The sixth instalment in the series will take place at Higher Colleges of Technology – Ras Al Khaimah Women’s Campus.

The event will provide invitation-only attendees from schools, universities and government entities in Ras Al Khaimah the opportunity to interact live with Al Neyadi, who is currently on the International Space Station (ISS) undertaking the longest Arab space mission in history. They will also have the chance to learn about Al Neyadi’s experiences and ask him questions about life in space. Close to 5,500 people have taken part in the past five editions of the event, giving attendees a glimpse in to AlNeyadi’s life on the ISS and the opportunity to interact with him.

The first event in the series was held at the Dubai Opera, followed by the second for media at the Museum of the Future. The third edition was held in Mauritius, while the fourth session was held at the United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain. The last session that took place on 7th June was a special medical science edition held at MBRU in Dubai.

Milestone in Arab history Al Neyadi has been on the ISS for more than three months now, marking a significant milestone in Arab space exploration. Over the course of his mission, he has gone on to conduct several scientific experiments, performed maintenance work and even aided in the relocation of the Dragon spacecraft. During his current mission, Al Neyadi also became the first Arab astronaut to perform a spacewalk.

The spacewalk, which was performed alongside astronaut Stephen Bowen, spanned seven hours and one minute and involved skilfully executing a number of preparatory tasks, which included routing power cables and laying the groundwork for the upcoming installation of the ISS Roll-Out Solar Array (iROSA). The UAE Astronaut Programme is one of the projects managed by MBRSC under the UAE’s National Space Programme and funded by the ICT Fund of the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), which aims to support research and development in the ICT sector in the UAE and promote the country’s integration on the global stage.

Recently, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) announced the successful completion of the ‘A Call from Space’ – Medical Science edition, hosted by UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi from the International Space Station (ISS), in Dubai. The event, held in partnership with the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), attracted close to 400 attendees, including medical professionals and students from universities in the UAE.

Addressing the attendees before the live call, Salem Humaid AlMarri, Director General of MBRSC said: “Over the past few months, through the longest Arab space mission in history, Sultan has provided us invaluable scientific data. Each one of the experiments he is part of is fuelling our drive towards unprecedented advancements in science. These research initiatives reflect our commitment to integrating space exploration with diverse scientific disciplines.

Thus, ensuring that our space programme contributes not just to the field of space science but to multiple sectors.” The fifth instalment of the live call series with Al Neyadi, who is on the longest Arab space mission in history, was focused exclusively on the medical science field. During the event, Adnan Al Rais, Mission Manager, UAE Astronaut Programme, gave an overview of the UAE Astronaut Programme and briefed the attendees on updates about the mission.

“This mission is a platform for international collaboration, as well as to advance our science and technology. We are working very close with the international space community, to share our knowledge and experience and are also giving access to our scientists, researchers and students to this unique environment to conduct experiments,” said Al Rais.

WAM