UAE astronaut completes intense space simulation training

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre has announced that Emirati astronaut Mohammad AlMulla has successfully completed the European Space Agency’s CAVES training programme in Italy.

The two-week course, held in Molise and Campania, brought together astronauts from ESA, NASA and Japan’s JAXA to simulate the challenges of space missions — deep underground.

CAVES, short for Cooperative Adventure for Valuing and Exercising human behaviour and performance Skills, is designed to prepare astronauts for working in extreme environments, with a focus on teamwork, leadership and decision-making under pressure.

AlMulla and his international crew lived and worked in complete isolation during a multi-day expedition inside caves, facing conditions similar to spaceflight — including limited privacy, technical constraints and minimal supplies.

The training also covered scientific research, mapping and subterranean exploration, helping astronauts sharpen their communication and stress management skills.

The MBRSC says this experience will support future missions and strengthen global collaboration in space exploration.

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) today announced that astronaut Mohammad AlMulla has completed the two-week CAVES training programme organised by the European Space Agency (ESA) in Molise and Campania, Italy, alongside an international crew of astronauts from ESA,… pic.twitter.com/bXnRZerMA4

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) October 9, 2025