DUBAI: Emirati astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and the rest of Crew-6 mission, NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg and Rocosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, returned to Earth after a six-month stay at the International Space Station (ISS).
Watch Dragon and Crew-6 return to return to Earth https://t.co/wlMNYj5tjh
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 4, 2023
Teams from NASA and SpaceX earlier on Sunday have given a ‘Go’ for Crew-6 mission to undock from the space station after scuttling earlier plans due to inclement weather on Earth. Their SpaceX capsule parachuted into the Atlantic off the Florida coast early Monday morning.
“Splashdown of Dragon confirmed – welcome back to Earth, Steve, @Astro_Woody, Andrey, and @Astro_Alneyadi!” SpaceX posted on the social media account X.
Splashdown of Dragon confirmed – welcome back to Earth, Steve, @Astro_Woody, Andrey, and @Astro_Alneyadi! pic.twitter.com/ph27m0wP30
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 4, 2023
Before departing the space station, they said they were craving hot showers, steaming cups of coffee and the ocean air since arriving in March. Their homecoming was delayed a day because of poor weather at the splashdown locations.
SpaceX launched their replacements over a week ago.
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed extolled AlNeyadi’s feats, and in a social media posting said, “@Astro_AlNeyadi, the people of the UAE are immensely proud of you and the entire team for achieving major advances in space exploration. You carried the dreams of a nation to new frontiers, and we celebrate your pioneering journey and safe return.”
@Astro_AlNeyadi, the people of the UAE are immensely proud of you and the entire team for achieving major advances in space exploration. You carried the dreams of a nation to new frontiers, and we celebrate your pioneering journey and safe return.
— محمد بن زايد (@MohamedBinZayed) September 4, 2023
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, the Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, also commented on the safe return of AlNeyadi, who went on a long mission to the space station.
نهنىء شعب الإمارات وجميع الشباب العربي بالعودة السالمة لسلطان النيادي لكوكب الأرض - أول رائد فضاء عربي في مهمة طويلة في محطة الفضاء الدولية. أجرى سلطان 200 مهمة بحثية علمية .. وقضى أكثر من 4400 ساعة في الفضاء .. وألهم ملايين الشباب العربي بأننا قادرون على المساهمة الإيجابية في…
— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) September 4, 2023
Another crew switch will occur later this month with the long-awaited homecoming of two Russians and one American who have been up there an entire year. Their stay was doubled after their Soyuz capsule leaked all of its coolant and a new craft had to be launched.
Between crew swaps, the space station is home to seven astronauts.
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) announced Saturday morning that AlNeyadi's scheduled return from the ISS has been delayed due to unfavorable weather conditions.
AlNeyadi, the first Arab astronaut deployed on a long-term space mission and the first to complete a spacewalk, will undergo several days of medical testing, evaluation and mission debriefs in the US before returning home to the UAE.
– with AP
