LONDON: Emirati astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi will begin his return to Earth from the International Space Station on Saturday evening at 5:05 p.m. UAE time, the Emirates’ space center confirmed on Friday.
AlNeyadi, the first Arab astronaut deployed on a long-term space mission and the first to complete a spacewalk, will make the journey home after spending six months aboard the ISS.
The Emirati astronaut, together with NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, lifted off on March 2 in NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
AlNeyadi, who conducted more than 200 experiments while on board the ISS, will travel back on the SpaceX Dragon capsule, which will undock from the ISS, then go through a deorbit burn, re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, and a splashdown.
His journey will be broadcast live via the NASA website and on the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) website.
AlNeyadi posted a message on X, formerly Twitter, about the bond he has formed with his fellow crew members during his time on the ISS.
“We began the mission as crewmates, but now we are brothers,” he wrote. “Over the last six months, I gained a new family with whom I shared expertise, traditions, and cultures and experienced beautiful and challenging moments while creating unforgettable moments together.”
On arrival, AlNeyadi will undergo several days of medical testing, evaluation, and mission debriefs in the US before returning home to the UAE.
