UAE President hails country's space programme

His Highness President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has praised the achievements of the UAE space programme, following Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi's successful spacewalk.

In a post on Twitter, His Highness wrote "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."

The UAE Hope probe recently unveiled a series of unique and ground-breaking observations of Mars’ smaller moon Deimos, quickly followed by an historic spacewalk outside the International Space Station by Sultan Al Neyadi, creating history by becoming the first Arab ever to undertake such a mission.

The UAE President also praised the work of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre for their Rashid Rover lunar programme.

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

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

"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.

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

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, also posted his congratulations.

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… pic.twitter.com/g9T957I6gY

— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) April 28, 2023