Cape Canaveral, Fla - SpaceX successfully launched four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA, including the first astronaut from the Arab world to embark on an extended months-long stay.
Astronaut Sultan al-Neyadi, a communications engineer, is only the second Emirati to fly to space, and he will spend six months on his mission. Schools and offices in Dubai and across the United Arab Emirates broadcasted the launch live.
The Falcon rocket launched from Kennedy Space Center shortly after midnight, lighting up the night sky as it headed up the East Coast.
The other astronauts on the Dragon capsule include NASA's Stephen Bowen, a retired Navy submariner who has flown on three space shuttle flights; Warren “Woody” Hoburg, a former research scientist at MIT and a space newbie; and Andrei Fedyaev, a retired Russian Air Force space rookie. The crew will replace the current US-Russian-Japanese crew that has been aboard the ISS since October.
The first launch attempt was cancelled due to a clogged filter in the engine ignition system, but the second attempt was successful, taking place four years to the day after the capsule's first orbital test flight.
The UAE already has a spacecraft orbiting Mars, and a mini rover will travel to the moon on a Japanese lander. Two new UAE astronauts are currently training with NASA's latest astronaut picks in Houston.
Al-Neyadi's mission has provided a new venue for science and scientific discovery for the UAE, according to the country's minister for public education and advanced technology, Sarah al-Amiri. Al-Neyadi thanked everyone in Arabic and English after reaching orbit and said, "Launch was incredible. Amazing." He will be joined by two Saudi astronauts going to the ISS on a short private SpaceX flight
“It’s going to be really exciting, really interesting” to have three Arabs in space at once, he said last week. “Our region is also thirsty to learn more.”
According to Stephen Bowen, the leader of the crew, the U.S. and Russia have continued to work together on the space station and trade seats on rides there, despite the ongoing tensions over the war in Ukraine.
Bowen added that he felt it was "tremendous" to have the opportunity to fly with his crewmates.