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.



Prince Harry Is in Angola to Raise Awareness for Land Mine Clearing, Repeating Diana’s 1997 Trip

Britain's Prince Harry remotely detonates a landmine at a minefield during a visit to see the work of landmine clearance charity the Halo Trust in Dirico, Angola, Sept. 27, 2019. (Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP, Pool)
Britain's Prince Harry remotely detonates a landmine at a minefield during a visit to see the work of landmine clearance charity the Halo Trust in Dirico, Angola, Sept. 27, 2019. (Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP, Pool)
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Prince Harry Is in Angola to Raise Awareness for Land Mine Clearing, Repeating Diana’s 1997 Trip

Britain's Prince Harry remotely detonates a landmine at a minefield during a visit to see the work of landmine clearance charity the Halo Trust in Dirico, Angola, Sept. 27, 2019. (Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP, Pool)
Britain's Prince Harry remotely detonates a landmine at a minefield during a visit to see the work of landmine clearance charity the Halo Trust in Dirico, Angola, Sept. 27, 2019. (Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP, Pool)

Prince Harry visited the African nation of Angola on Tuesday with a land mine clearing charity, repeating a famous trip his mother made in 1997.

Harry, the Duke of Sussex, met with Angolan President João Lourenço on Tuesday at the start of his trip, according to a statement from the Halo Trust, an organization that works to clear land mines from old warzones.

Princess Diana visited Angola with the Halo Trust in January 1997, just seven months before she was killed in a Paris car crash. Diana was famously photographed on that trip wearing protective equipment and walking through an active minefield during a break in fighting in Angola's long civil war.

Her advocacy helped mobilize support for a treaty banning land mines later that year.

This is not the first time Harry has followed in his mother's footsteps by raising awareness for the Halo Trust's work. He also visited the southern African country in 2019 for a land mine clearing project. British media reported that Harry traveled to Angola this week without his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.

Halo Trust CEO James Cowan said in a statement Tuesday that he and Harry met with Lourenço to discuss continued demining efforts in Angola and thanked the president for his support for that work.

Angola was torn apart by a 27-year civil war, which lasted from 1975 to 2002, with some brief and fragile periods of peace in between.

The Halo Trust says there are estimates that around 80,000 Angolans have been killed or injured by land mines during and after the war, although there are no exact figures. The organization says just over 1,000 minefields covering an estimated 67 square kilometers (26 square miles) still needed to be cleared at the end of 2024.

Angola had set itself a goal to be land mine-free by 2025.