Sultan Al Neyadi hails 'amazing' mission as he bids farewell to space


  • English
  • Arabic

Latest: UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi's journey back to Earth

Pioneering Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi has reflected on the “experience of a lifetime” as he counts down the hours to his return journey to Earth after six months in space.

Dr Al Neyadi spoke of the sense of duty he felt during his historic mission to inspire others to reach for the stars, as the UAE and the wider region enjoy a renaissance in the space sector.

He told of his desire to return to space during a farewell ceremony on the International Space Station, which was streamed by Nasa on Thursday evening.

The father of six, from Al Ain, will begin his journey home Sunday and is scheduled to splash down off the coast of Florida shortly before 9am, UAE time, the following day.

Live coverage of the momentous trip will be broadcast online over the weekend, which you will also be able to watch and follow with The National's live updates.

“Thanks for the wonderful time spent here. An amazing time, six months, it felt really quick," said Dr Al Neyadi, who spoke in both Arabic and English during the interview.

“We did a lot – Evas [extra vehicular activity, such as his landmark spacewalk], science, maintenance, we had fun, we had good outreach with many people around the world, so it was really amazing, especially for my region.”

Dr Al Neyadi touched on the significant strides made in the space race across the Middle East in recent years.

The UAE's Hazza Al Mansouri entered the record books when he became the first Arab to set foot on the ISS in 2019.

Before the ISS existed, Prince Sultan bin Salman of Saudi Arabia flew on Nasa's Space Shuttle in 1985, becoming the first Arab in space.

The Emirati trailblazer was joined on the ISS by Saudi astronauts Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali Al Qarni for eight days in May.

Ms Barnawi became the first Arab woman to go on a space mission.

“I come from a place where human space flights were stopped for more than 30 years and I felt that I am responsible, obligated, to show what's happening aboard the station and I think it's a small boost towards spreading the enthusiasm in our region,” Dr Al Neyadi said.

“I can't be happier with the time I was here, doing everything possible, and it was really incredible time.”

He said he would be eager to return to space again with his three Crew-6 colleagues, Nasa astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg, and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, who he arrived on the ISS with on March 3.

“We always get asked if we want to fly together again and I always say 100 per cent. I would love to do it again,” he said.

He urged members of the replacement Crew-7 team, who docked on the ISS this week, to cherish every moment.

“For the newcomers, enjoy every part of it. It is an experience of a lifetime,” he said.

The intrepid traveller was joined on the broadcast by his faithful companion Suhail, a mascot for the nation's space mission.

A stuffed-toy version of the mascot also served as an additional crewmate during Maj Al Mansouri's eight-day stay on board the ISS.

Dr Al Neyadi made his mark by becoming the first Arab to embark on a long-duration space mission.

He broke more new ground in April when he became the first person from the Arab world to take part in a spacewalk.

He completed a six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk, after exiting the International Space Station with his American colleague Stephen Bowen.

The duo carried out two crucial tasks during their maintenance assignment, including preparing a structure on the station’s exterior for a future solar array installation.

Sultan returns to Earth

The UAE public can watch Dr Al Neyadi's remarkable voyage home from 400km above Earth live through the MBRSC website, at www.mbrsc.ae/live.

Saturday, September 2

Live coverage of undocking procedure from 3pm, with undocking scheduled for 5.05pm.

Sunday, September 3

Live coverage from 8.30am. Scheduled splashdown, no earlier than 8.58am.

Gothia Cup 2025

4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

Going grey? A stylist's advice

If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”

ETFs explained

Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.

ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.

There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Jawan
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAtlee%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shah%20Rukh%20Khan%2C%20Nayanthara%2C%20Vijay%20Sethupathi%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.5-litre%204-cylinder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECVT%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E119bhp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E145Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDh%2C89%2C900%20(%2424%2C230)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
WHY%20AAYAN%20IS%20'PERFECT%20EXAMPLE'
%3Cp%3EDavid%20White%20might%20be%20new%20to%20the%20country%2C%20but%20he%20has%20clearly%20already%20built%20up%20an%20affinity%20with%20the%20place.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EAfter%20the%20UAE%20shocked%20Pakistan%20in%20the%20semi-final%20of%20the%20Under%2019%20Asia%20Cup%20last%20month%2C%20White%20was%20hugged%20on%20the%20field%20by%20Aayan%20Khan%2C%20the%20team%E2%80%99s%20captain.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EWhite%20suggests%20that%20was%20more%20a%20sign%20of%20Aayan%E2%80%99s%20amiability%20than%20anything%20else.%20But%20he%20believes%20the%20young%20all-rounder%2C%20who%20was%20part%20of%20the%20winning%20Gulf%20Giants%20team%20last%20year%2C%20is%20just%20the%20sort%20of%20player%20the%20country%20should%20be%20seeking%20to%20produce%20via%20the%20ILT20.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CHe%20is%20a%20delightful%20young%20man%2C%E2%80%9D%20White%20said.%20%E2%80%9CHe%20played%20in%20the%20competition%20last%20year%20at%2017%2C%20and%20look%20at%20his%20development%20from%20there%20till%20now%2C%20and%20where%20he%20is%20representing%20the%20UAE.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CHe%20was%20influential%20in%20the%20U19%20team%20which%20beat%20Pakistan.%20He%20is%20the%20perfect%20example%20of%20what%20we%20are%20all%20trying%20to%20achieve%20here.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CIt%20is%20about%20the%20development%20of%20players%20who%20are%20going%20to%20represent%20the%20UAE%20and%20go%20on%20to%20help%20make%20UAE%20a%20force%20in%20world%20cricket.%E2%80%9D%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to help

Donate towards food and a flight by transferring money to this registered charity's account.

Account name: Dar Al Ber Society

Account Number: 11 530 734

IBAN: AE 9805 000 000 000 11 530 734

Bank Name: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank

To ensure that your contribution reaches these people, please send the copy of deposit/transfer receipt to: juhi.khan@daralber.ae

The specs: 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn

Price, base / as tested: Dhxxx
Engine: 5.7L V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 556Nm @ 3,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km

Updated: September 01, 2023, 2:19 PM`