The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) achieved a new milestone on Friday as astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi ventured out of the International Space Station (ISS) and completed his spacewalk, state news agency WAM reported.
The UAE commemorates Al-Neyadi is now the first Arab to undertake a spacewalk during Expedition 69, currently underway on the ISS.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said: “After three years of intensive training, today we see Sultan AlNeyadi on his first spacewalk, carrying out several tasks outside the International Space Station. AlNeyadi is the first ever Emirati, first Arab and first Muslim astronaut to perform a spacewalk.”
“It is a fact that many stars have Arabic names. Arabs are capable and innovative. Our focus on science and investment in youth will shape our future.”
The historic first Arab spacewalk lasted 7.01 hours in the vacuum of space on the starboard side of the International Space Station’s truss structure, accomplishing two key objectives. One of the objectives of the Extravehicular Activity (EVA), undertaken by AlNeyadi along with NASA Flight Engineer Stephen Bowen, was to work on a series of preparatory tasks which involved routing power cables, which was successfully concluded.
According to WAM, these cable works were completed as a precursor to the installation of the Space Station's fourth roll-out solar array, known as the International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array (iROSA), which is scheduled to be delivered on the upcoming SpaceX Dragon cargo mission. The next objective was to retrieve a crucial Radio Frequency Group (RFG) unit. This communications antenna, or RFG will stay bolted on the station for now due to the difficulty of removing it.
The UAE Astronaut Program is one of the projects managed by MBRSC under the UAE’s National Space Program 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.
