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UAE Selects Sultan Al-Neyadi to Embark on 6-Month Space Station Journey

UAE astronaut Sultan al-Neyadi (Asharq Al-Awsat)
UAE astronaut Sultan al-Neyadi (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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UAE Selects Sultan Al-Neyadi to Embark on 6-Month Space Station Journey

UAE astronaut Sultan al-Neyadi (Asharq Al-Awsat)
UAE astronaut Sultan al-Neyadi (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The United Arab Emirates announced Monday selecting astronaut Sultan al-Neyadi to participate in the first long-term mission to the International Space Station (ISS), as part of a NASA, Space-X and Crew-6 mission that will launch in spring 2023.

Neyadi will spend six months aboard the ISS, during which he will conduct many in-depth and advanced scientific experiments as part of the UAE Astronaut Program.

The program aims to train and prepare a team of Emirati astronauts and send them to space to carry out various scientific missions.

Neyadi's mission came after the signing of a strategic partnership agreement in April between the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre and Axiom Space, a US company specializing in space flights and the development of space infrastructure.

President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, said the UAE is strengthening its stature in the space sector, due to its people's determination and ambition.

They stressed that Neyadi represents an honorable model for the Emirati and Arab youth and will be an ambassador for all Arabs in the space race, stressing that the country is establishing the foundations of this vital sector by supplying it with qualified national cadres, launching further scientific projects related to space exploration, and supporting related industries.

The President congratulated the Emirati people on Neyadi’s selection for the mission, noting that the UAE has become the 11th country in history to participate in a long-term mission to space.

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Disasters Loom over South Asia with Forecast of Hotter, Wetter Monsoon

The Himalayan mountain range of Annapurna and Mount Machapuchare (top, C) are pictured from Nepal's Pokhara on June 7, 2025. (Photo by Prakash MATHEMA / AFP)
The Himalayan mountain range of Annapurna and Mount Machapuchare (top, C) are pictured from Nepal's Pokhara on June 7, 2025. (Photo by Prakash MATHEMA / AFP)
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Disasters Loom over South Asia with Forecast of Hotter, Wetter Monsoon

The Himalayan mountain range of Annapurna and Mount Machapuchare (top, C) are pictured from Nepal's Pokhara on June 7, 2025. (Photo by Prakash MATHEMA / AFP)
The Himalayan mountain range of Annapurna and Mount Machapuchare (top, C) are pictured from Nepal's Pokhara on June 7, 2025. (Photo by Prakash MATHEMA / AFP)

Communities across Asia's Himalayan Hindu Kush region face heightened disaster risks this monsoon season with temperatures and rainfall expected to exceed normal levels, experts warned on Thursday.

Temperatures are expected to be up to two degrees Celsius hotter than average across the region, with forecasts for above-average rains, according to a monsoon outlook released by Kathmandu-based International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) on Wednesday.

"Rising temperatures and more extreme rain raise the risk of water-induced disasters such as floods, landslides, and debris flows, and have longer-term impacts on glaciers, snow reserves, and permafrost," Arun Bhakta Shrestha, a senior adviser at ICIMOD, said in a statement.

The summer monsoon, which brings South Asia 70-80 percent of its annual rainfall, is vital for agriculture and therefore for the livelihoods of millions of farmers and for food security in a region that is home to around two billion people.

However, it also brings destruction through landslides and floods every year. Melting glaciers add to the volume of water, while unregulated construction in flood-prone areas exacerbates the damage.

"What we have seen over the years are also cascading disasters where, for example, heavy rainfall can lead to landslides, and landslides can actually block rivers. We need to be aware about such possibilities," Saswata Sanyal, manager of ICIMOD's Disaster Risk Reduction work, told AFP.

Last year's monsoon season brought devastating landslides and floods across South Asia and killed hundreds of people, including more than 300 in Nepal.

This year, Nepal has set up a monsoon response command post, led by its National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.

"We are coordinating to stay prepared and to share data and alerts up to the local level for early response. Our security forces are on standby for rescue efforts," said agency spokesman Ram Bahadur KC.

Weather-related disasters are common during the monsoon season from June to September but experts say climate change, coupled with urbanization, is increasing their frequency and severity.

The UN's World Meteorological Organization said last year that increasingly intense floods and droughts are a "distress signal" of what is to come as climate change makes the planet's water cycle ever more unpredictable.