Commemorative coin to celebrate Hazza Al Mansouri

Coin to pay tribute to the first Emirati astronaut's mission to space

UAE astronaut Hazza Al Mansouri waves as he boards the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft before its blasts off for the ISS, on September 25. Maxim Shipenkov / AFP

Hazza Al Mansouri has made his mark in the pages of the UAE's history books and soon he will leave his imprint on the country's currency too.

On Wednesday, the UAE Central Bank said it would issue a commemorative coin in celebration of the first Emirati astronaut's mission to space.

"His launch marked a significant day in our history as a nation," the Central Bank said in a statement.

"This initiative from the Central Bank aims to pay tribute to UAE’s visionary leadership and to recognize Major Hazza Al Mansouri’s heroic efforts in realising [President Sheikh Khalifa and the UAE Founding Father Sheikh Zayed's] ambitions."

Mubarak Al Mansoori, Governor of the Central Bank said it was essential to commemorate Maj Al Mansouri's "immeasurable" contribution to the country.

"This commemorative edition marks our immense pride and solidifies the UAE’s place in the global front of space exploration."

The coin comes a month after Emirates Post said it would issue a series of stamps to mark the milestone mission.

The six special-edition stamps were released on September 25, the day of the launch from Kazakhstan.

The stamps honouring the UAE space programme were adorned with images of Maj Al Mansouri and backup astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, as well as images of the Soyuz craft, the International Space Station and the logo for the mission, bearing the likeness of Sheikh Zayed.

Emirates Post commissioned 150,000 stamps in partnership with Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, which are available at the service's happiness centres across the Emirates.