(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Published: Sun 26 Feb 2023, 3:14 PM Last updated: Sun 26 Feb 2023, 6:18 PM
The UAE's second astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi is all set to embark on a six-month-long landmark mission to the International Space Station on Monday, February, 27.
All preparations and training for Al Neyadi and the other three members of the Crew-6 team for the mission have been completed in the US.
Khaleej Times' digital and social platforms will bring all the action live on Monday morning. Readers can tune in from 7am as our reporters, multimedia journalists and editors capture history being made by the UAE as the young country aims for the stars yet again.
Moreover, Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) will also start live coverage of the landmark event at around 7.30am on Monday with launch of the mission scheduled for 11.07am.
UAE astronaut Al Neyadi will be the first Arab to spend this length of time in space.
In an interview with the Arab Gulf State Institute, Washington, Sarah bint Yousif Al Amiri, the UAE's Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology and Chairwoman of UAE Space Agency and the UAE Council of Scientists, said Al Neyadi“is a remarkable individual who has developed from the inception of the astronaut programme within the Emirates, trained up to par with global astronauts and provides us a new venue for science and scientific discovery for the country by heading to the International Space Station.”
In addition to Khaleej Times and Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, Nasa will also provide coverage of the live launch activities for the agency's SpaceX Crew-6 mission through its app, website and television channel.
Viewers will be able to watch the crew arrival at Kennedy Space Center, launch and docking coverage on Nasa's television, app, and the website.
Internet users can also tune into SpaceX website for the live coverage.
The UAE's space programme has been growing by leaps and bounds over the past decade.
The UAE is set to achieve another major milestone in April 2023 as Rashid Rover is expected to land on the moon, marking a major achievement in the country's ambitions to make a mark in the space sector.
The lunar project was announced in September 2020 and launched in December 2022.
The successful landing of the UAE-built rover, named after the former Dubai ruler late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, will make the Emirates the fourth country in the world and first in the Arab region to land on the moon.
By January 2, 2023, Japan-based ispace inc (ispace) - which will land the Emirati rover on Moon - said its Hakuto-R Mission 1 lunar lander had travelled approximately 1.24 million kilometres from Earth.
ALSO READ:
butter chicken lunch, quality time with family: how uae astronaut will spend day before 6-month space mission
look: uae astronaut posts heart-warming image of son as 6-month space mission given 'go' for launch