UAE President Sheikh Mohamed Hails the Country's Space Programme

His Highness President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has praised the achievements of the UAE space programme and its "meaningful contribution to space exploration", following Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi's historic spacewalk on Friday, April 28th.

His Highness wrote on Twitter: "With this week's new discoveries by the Hope probe, the achievements of the Rashid rover mission, and Sultan Al Neyadi's first ever spacewalk by an Arab astronaut, the UAE continues to make a meaningful contribution to space exploration and advancements in science."

أسبوع تاريخي لقطاع الفضاء الإماراتي قدم خلاله مسبار الأمل أوضح صورة لقمر المريخ "ديموس" وشهد وصول العرب إلى أقرب نقطة من سطح القمر مع المستكشف راشد وخاض سلطان النيادي أول مهمة عربية للسير في الفضاء.. ستواصل الإمارات بالتعاون مع شركائها تعزيز إسهاماتها العلمية في مجال الفضاء.

— محمد بن زايد (@MohamedBinZayed) April 28, 2023

H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai, also posted a congratulatory message on the spacewalk.

"After 3 years of intensive training, today we saw Sultan Al Neyadi on the first mission to walk in outer space, carrying out missions to install new parts and carry out maintenance on the International Space Station, the first Emirati, the first Arab, the first Muslim, to walk in outer space... proud of that," he wrote in Arabic. 

بعد ٣ سنوات من التدريب المكثف .. رأينا اليوم سلطان النيادي في أول مهمة للسير في الفضاء الخارجي.. وتنفيذ مهمات لتركيب أجزاء جديدة وإجراء صيانة في محطة الفضاء الدولية .. أول إماراتي .. أول عربي .. أول مسلم .. يسير في الفضاء الخارجي .. فخورين بذلك .
يقولون بأن ثلثي نجوم السماء… pic.twitter.com/acxJvVGNDy

— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) April 28, 2023

Moreover, another congratulatory message was posted on Twitter by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, saying: "The UAE's space program has achieved a new historic milestone with @astro_alneyadi becoming the first Arab to perform a spacewalk. We extend our congratulations to the UAE's leadership, its people, and the entire region for this remarkable accomplishment. We take great pride in this achievement and celebrate this momentous occasion. We also wish @astro_alneyadi a safe and successful mission."

Al Neyadi and his fellow astronaut American Stephen Bowen climbed out of a hatch on the International Space Station (ISS) and entered into space on Friday, April 28th at 5:11 pm UAE time and concluded the spacewalk just after midnight.

The mission was watched live by thousands of Arabs, space lovers, science enthusiasts, and people all around the world.