On March 2nd, UAE astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi embarked on a historic mission aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. AlNeyadi’s successful launch marks not only a source of pride for the UAE but for the entire Arab world, as he is the fourth Arab to make it to space, and his mission will be the longest Arab space mission ever.
However, this historic moment is just the beginning. Saudi Arabia announced last year that two of its astronauts, Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali AlQarni, will join AlNeyadi and his crew in the second quarter of this year on a mission to the International Space Station. The arrival of these two ‘najmonauts’, as they are referred to in Arabic, will be another landmark moment for the region, as for the first time ever, there will be three Arabs in space and on board the ISS at the same time.
Having three Arabs in space at once will be an exciting and interesting moment for the region, as our thirst for knowledge and exploration continues to grow. The ISS has already received over 200 visitors since its establishment in 2000, with the UAE’s Hazza AlMansouri making history as the first Arab astronaut to board the space station in 2019.
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