‘Sultan of Space’ UAE astronaut exits ISS for first Arab spacewalk
- As Sultan Alneyadi exited an ISS hatch to carry out maintenance work, the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre called it a ‘new historic milestone’
- Alneyadi became the first Arab astronaut to embark on a six-month space mission when he blasted off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in March
Emirati astronaut Sultan Alneyadi stepped out of the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday for the first spacewalk by an Arab astronaut, a moment touted by the UAE as a “milestone”.
Alneyadi, 41, dubbed the “Sultan of Space” by his alma mater, became the first Arab astronaut to embark on a six-month space mission when he blasted off for the ISS in early March aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
On Friday, he undertook “the first Arab spacewalk in history”, wearing a spacesuit that bears the Emirati flag, said the United Arab Emirates’ Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), calling it “a new historic milestone”.
Footage live-streamed by Nasa showed the UAE astronaut exiting an ISS hatch.
“Sultan Alneyadi has egressed the hatch, the first ever spacewalk by an Arab astronaut,” Nasa said.
The spacewalk will last for around six hours and thirty minutes, according to MBRSC and Nasa.