It has been one year since the UAE’s landmark mission to space and the country's first Emirati astronauts have now set their sights on the Moon.
Maj Hazza Al Mansouri became the first Emirati to go into space on September 25, 2019, as well as the first Arab to board the International Space Station (ISS).
The former F-16 pilot and Dr Sultan Al Neyadi, the reserve astronaut, are now part of Nasa’s Astronaut Candidate Training Programme, which they hope will help them reach the moon through the US’ Artemis mission.
The pair spoke to The National from the Johnson Space Centre in Houston on the first anniversary of UAE's mission to space.
“It is a next chapter for us and the UAE astronaut programme be training in Houston,” said Maj Al Mansouri, who has moved to the city in Texas with his family for the next 30 months.
“Within one year of my mission, we’ve started training. This type of programme is a big message to the whole world that we are serious and we want to be part of space exploration and flights."
He said a moon landing was the natural next step for the Emirates' space ambitions.
“The moon is in the horizon in terms of a mission that is approaching (Artemis). The UAE would want be part of those human space exploration missions. I always dreamt of seeing earth rising from the horizon of the moon. Maybe it is something I’ll see in the future,” he said.
Nasa plans to put the first woman and next man on the Moon in 2024, with an unmanned test flight scheduled for 2021.
The Emirati astronauts’ training at Nasa will pave the way for them and two other Emiratis, who will join the next batch of trainees once selected next year, to be part of such missions.
A new patch for UAE's astronaut corps – shown first to The National by Maj Al Mansouri – illustrates the country's vision for exploration beyond Earth's orbit. Worn by astronauts on their suits to represent their countries, the UAE's patch shows an astronaut standing on the moon, looking towards Mars, with Earth behind them.
“Hopefully, this [the training] will be just the beginning – there are many good plans of going back to the moon. I think the UAE will be a key player for that as well. We are ready and we’re happy to be here,” said Dr Al Neyadi.
The UAE is the first non-ISS partner country to participate in Nasa’s training programme, which all American astronauts are required to complete before moving on to mission-specific training.
“We’ll be engaged in a different level of training. This will allow us to spend more time in space,” said Dr Al Neyadi.
“As you know the UAE's last mission was a short flight. The training we conducted in Russia was for that mission and it was successful. Now, the goal is to spend more time on the ISS and be engaged with different activities like spacewalk and maintaining the station."
Their one-year training programme in Russia prepared them physically and mentally for extreme gravitational forces and weightlessness experienced in space, as well as how to operate the Soyuz spacecraft in Russian.
In Houston, their training will prepare for them long-haul space missions and spacewalks.
To learn how to spacewalk, they will be swimming for hours in the world’s largest indoor pool at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory.
They will wear a 115kg extravehicular activities (EVA) suit and perform tasks under water, where a mock ISS environment is set up.
The training also involves flying supersonic T-38 jets to simulate the experience of gravitational forces and improve quick decision-making skills.
“For non-pilot astronauts, there is usually a rear seat for training but they’ll get all of the qualifications to fly the T-38,” said Dr Al Neyadi, who has an engineering background.
“The most important thing is to be able to handle the aircraft and maintaining a level of vigilance, as well as be able to communicate with the ground team, pilot and conduct manoeuvres that are required.”
Other parts of the programme includes robotics and learning the major systems of the space station, such as environmental control and life support system, computers and data management, the propulsion system, guidance, navigation and control, electrical power system, among others.
Learning Russian is also required, though the UAE's astronauts accomplished this last year.
“I think I’m most looking forward to the EVA training inside the big pool,” said Maj Al Mansouri. “I have the experience on board the station and I want to compare the two.”
Since Maj Al Mansoori's mission to the ISS, the UAE has begun its search for the next two Emirati astronauts.
A probe, called Hope, was launched to Mars in July. It is expected to arrive to the Red Planet by February, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Union’s formation.
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
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Greatest Royal Rumble match listing
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Rusev
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v Kalisto
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Two stars
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Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
How to vote in the UAE
1) Download your ballot https://www.fvap.gov/
2) Take it to the US Embassy
3) Deadline is October 15
4) The embassy will ensure all ballots reach the US in time for the November 3 poll
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
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Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
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TUESDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY
Centre Court
Starting at 2pm:
Malin Cilic (CRO) v Benoit Paire (FRA) [8]
Not before 4pm:
Dan Evans (GBR) v Fabio Fogini (ITA) [4]
Not before 7pm:
Pablo Carreno Busta (SPA) v Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) [2]
Roberto Bautista Agut (SPA) [5] v Jan-Lennard Struff (GER)
Court One
Starting at 2pm
Prajnesh Gunneswaran (IND) v Dennis Novak (AUT)
Joao Sousa (POR) v Filip Krajinovic (SRB)
Not before 5pm:
Rajeev Ram (USA) and Joe Salisbury (GBR) [1] v Marin Cilic v Novak Djokovic (SRB)
Nikoloz Basilashvili v Ricardas Berankis (LTU)
Brief scoreline:
Tottenham 1
Son 78'
Manchester City 0
