NASA has dispatched four astronauts to the International Space Station through SpaceX. The launch featured Russians and Americans, as well as an Arab astronaut who would stay for several months.
The Falcon rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center soon after midnight on March 2 for a six-month mission. Over 80 onlookers from the United Arab Emirates saw the launch. Sultan al-Neyadi is just the second Emirati to have flown into space.
"The @SpaceX #Crew6 mission lifted off on the Crew Dragon Endeavour at 12:34am ET on Thursday and is scheduled to dock to the station at 1:17am ET on Friday," the International Space Station tweeted.
The event was streamed live in schools and companies throughout various Gulf countries, including Dubai.
NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen, a retired Navy submariner with three space shuttle missions on his résumé; Warren "Woody" Hoburg, a former research scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and retired Russian Air Force pilot Andrei Fedyaev, on his maiden journey, are also on board.
The launch comes four years after the capsule's maiden orbital test flight.
The first launch attempt on Monday was canceled at the last minute due to a blocked filter in the engine's ignition system.
"It may have taken two times, but it was worth the trip," Bowen remarked.
Another extravaganza accompanied the launch. According to NASA's space operations mission chief, Kathy Lueders, the launch came on the heels of a rare conjunction of Venus and Jupiter, which had been side by side all week, appearing to become closer and closer.
The current space station crew, which has been there since last October, will be relieved when the next crew arrives. Its crew is made up of Americans, Russians, and Japanese.
Two Russians and one American will remain on the station until September. Their stay was prolonged due to a leak in their Soyuz capsule, which was replaced at the end of February.
After reaching orbit, Al-Neyadi conveyed his thanks in both Arabic and English.
Al-Neyadi, a communications engineer, was the backup for the first Emirati astronaut in 2019, when Hazzaa al-Mansoori flew to the space station on a Russian rocket for a week-long stay. The oil-rich federation paid for Al-seat Neyadi's on the SpaceX rocket.
According to Sarah al-Amiri, the UAE's minister of public education and advanced technologies, the extended mission provides the country with a new platform for research and scientific discoveries.
Salem al-Marri, the director general of the UAE's space center in Dubai, also commented on his country's participation.
Furthermore, the Emirates already has a spacecraft in orbit around Mars. A small rover is also accompanying a Japanese lander to the moon. Two new UAE astronauts are being trained in Houston as part of NASA's newest astronaut selections.
Saudi Prince Sultan bin Salman was the first Arab in space. In 1985, he took off on the shuttle Discovery. Russia launched Syrian astronaut Muhammad Faris two years later. Each spent nearly a week in space.
The Saudi government will pay a brief SpaceX journey for two Saudi astronauts who will join Al-Neyadi this spring.
