UAE's first two astronauts qualify for Nasa missions

Nasa has been awarding the prestigious lapel pins since 1963

Sultan Al Neyadi undergoes spacewalk training in Houston, Texas in 2021. He will now blast off for a six-month tour on the International Space Station in 2023. Photo: Sultan Al Neyadi Twitter

Dr Al Neyadi holding a camera that is used during spacewalks. He is the astronaut going on the next space mission.

Hazza Al Mansouri, left, and Sultan Al Neyadi graduated from Nasa's training programme in May 2022, and are now eligible for space missions led by the US space agency. All photos: MBRSC

Nasa has been awarding these lapel pins since 1963 to astronauts who complete basic training. The silver ones are given to those who have completed their training, but are yet to fly to space. Gold ones are awarded to astronauts who have already flown to space.

Maj Al Mansouri received the gold Nasa astronaut pin because he has already flown to space.

Dr Al Neyadi received the silver Nasa astronaut pin. He is set to blast off for ISS in 2023.

UAE astronauts with Nasa astronaut Reid Wiseman.

The UAE’s first two astronauts have graduated from Nasa’s basic training programme and are now eligible for space missions led by the US space agency.

Hazza Al Mansouri and Sultan Al Neyadi were awarded their Nasa astronaut pins on Sunday, signifying that they are ready for missions to the International Space Station and beyond.

Both will now begin training for the Nasa-SpaceX Crew-6 mission, a six-month science trip to the orbiting laboratory.

Only one of them will fly to space, while the other will be the back-up astronaut for the mission.

“It's an exceptional feeling when 20 months of assiduous training pays off,” said Dr Al Neyadi, a former IT professional who will probably be the astronaut who makes the journey.

“A big thank you to MBRSC [Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre] and the Nasa team, my colleague Hazza and everyone who supported me in being awarded the Nasa astronaut pin.

“Our training continues towards achieving bigger goals.”

Maj Al Mansouri, a former fighter jet pilot for the UAE Armed Forces, became the first Emirati in space when he launched to the ISS on a Russian Soyuz rocket in 2019 for an eight-day trip. He could be the back-up astronaut for the latest mission.

Training for the new mission

The pair's basic training at Nasa involved learning how to perform spacewalks, the systems of the ISS, operating the station’s robotic arm Canadarm2 and other robotics.

Now, they will start mission training, including learning the systems of the SpaceX Dragon capsule, the spacecraft placed on top of the Falcon 9 rocket, which delivers the astronauts to the ISS.

On the SpaceX Crew-6 mission, the Emirati astronaut will serve as a mission specialist, alongside Nasa astronauts Stephen Bowen, spacecraft commander, and ‎Warren Hoburg‎, who will serve as Dragon’s pilot.

During the astronaut’s stay on the station, he will carry out an educational campaign for youth in the Middle East and several scientific experiments.

Because both Maj Al Mansouri and Dr Al Neyadi are qualified to perform spacewalks, a trip outside of the station could also be on the cards.

What are the Nasa astronaut pins?

Nasa has been awarding lapel pins since 1963 to astronauts who complete basic training.

The silver ones are given to those who have completed their training, but are yet to fly to space.

Gold ones are awarded to astronauts who have already flown to space.

Maj Al Mansouri was given the gold one during Sunday's ceremony, while Dr Al Neyadi received the silver one.