UAE Salutes Its Space Hero Astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi On His Homecoming

The UAE is rolling out the red carpet to welcome back its space hero, Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, to his motherland today with an out-of-this-world celebration.

'Little astronaut' Suhail was introduced as the fifth crew member. — Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi on the International Space Station along with Suhail, the MBRSC mascot for the space mission.

The entire country proudly salutes the 42-year-old who performed the longest Arab space mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and the first-ever spacewalk by an Arab, etching his name in the history books twice.

UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi reveals what he wants to do first when he returns to Earth from International Space Station.

From leaders and top officials to students, people from all walks of life are set to celebrate the achievements of the ‘Sultan of Space’ as he flies into Abu Dhabi from Houston in the US after a two-week rehabilitation post his return to Earth from space after six months.

Heroic return

The day of Sultan’s arrival back to Earth after six months wasn’t an ordinary day. The anxiousness of waiting for his safe landing kept us glued to the live coverage on the phones as we headed to the office that morning. I could see people in nearby cars watching the historic arrival. It was the feeling of a family member coming back after a long time, but not just from anywhere, from space, and not just an ordinary return, but a return that at least can be called heroic.

نستودعكم الله
إلى الإمارات الحبيبة ✈️🇦🇪 pic.twitter.com/t1KlVA1qq0

— Sultan AlNeyadi (@Astro_Alneyadi) September 18, 2023

As he was being carried out of the spacecraft, everyone around me was cheering and saying “Al Hamdulilah”, “Praise to God”. I felt so proud and lucky to be able to witness this moment live.

The trust that our leadership always places in its youth makes it a mission for all of us to achieve even more.

As the UAE celebrates the return of a hero, we get to witness a historic moment, one that’s here to last and one that is a beginning of more inspirations to come.

You made us proud, Sultan. Welcome home!

The nose of the government aircraft is inscribed with Al Ain, Dr Al Neyadi’s hometown.

Abu Dhabi landmarks were lit up on Sunday night in celebration of Dr Al Neyadi’s return.

The Adnoc headquarters, Mubadala Tower, Khalifa University and Marina Mall’s observation tower were illuminated with images of the explorer.

People can tune into a live-stream of his return to the UAE from 5.30pm at mbrsc.ae/live/ and on YouTube.