In preparation for the first long-term mission of Arab astronauts, Al-Neyadi and Al-Mansoori complete training on the “Columbus” unit

Astronauts Hazzaa Al Mansouri and Sultan Al Neyadi completed training related to the specialists of the “Columbus” unit, aboard the International Space Station, in preparation for the SpaceX Crew-6 mission, one of the missions of the UAE Astronaut Programme.
The intensive training included important categories: Mission 69 payloads, mission science experiments, equipment use, routine maintenance, and emergency response.
These exercises come in preparation for the first long-term mission of the Arab astronauts, where the two astronauts spent hours practicing all the skills acquired during theoretical and practical sessions, especially since all the simulators in the training center are an exact copy of those in the International Space Station and guarantee a comprehensive understanding mission before its launch in mid-February next year.
Sultan and Hazaa are among other astronauts on the Crew-6 mission, who are ready to help advance scientific research aboard the International Space Station, where Sultan will be the primary astronaut for the mission from the UAE, which will be launched aboard the SpaceX Dragon vehicle from the complex. 39A at Cape Canaveral Space Station, Florida, United States, to spend 6 months aboard the International Space Station.
The mission will start with an overview of the delivery of tasks provided by the crew of the Crew-5 mission, which arrived in October as part of a scientific expedition in the Microgravity Laboratory, while Sultan will conduct a series of experiments and advanced research during the mission, in order to reach important scientific results regarding outer space, which It falls within the UAE Astronaut Program, which will train and prepare a team of Emirati astronauts before sending them into space to carry out various scientific missions.
It is noteworthy that the Emirates Astronaut Program, launched by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, is one of the most inspiring programs that meets the aspirations of young people with unique capabilities at the scientific level and personal skills, and aims to train and prepare a team of Emirati astronauts and send them into space to carry out various scientific tasks. And enabling them to work on the International Space Station, which enhances the center’s role in building infrastructure for the space sector in the UAE.
It is worth noting that the program is one of the projects funded by the Information and Communication Technology Fund of the Telecommunications and Digital Government Authority (TDRA), which aims to support research and development in the information and communication technology sector.