“Tawakal na ala Allah”
It’s a historic day for UAE space exploration as the first Emirati astronaut prepares for his journey to the stars.
المراحل الأخيرة من تدريبات #رواد_فضاء_الإمارات
The final stages of #UAE_Astronauts training #طموح_زايد pic.twitter.com/9mEXp5D966— MBR Space Centre (@MBRSpaceCentre) August 26, 2019
Hazza Al Mansoori will blast off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 5.56pm. He will be the second flight engineer aboard a Soyuz MS-15, as part of the S61 Expedition to the International Space Station.
Ahead of this historic moment, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed forces, spoke to Al Mansoori over phone saying:
“You’re embodying the hopes and ambitions of a nation that is steadfastly progressing, thanks to the visionary vision of our leaders, to fulfil our aspirations and achieve quantum supremacy across all fields.”
The tallest building in the world, #BurjKhalifa, lights up for the #UAE‘s historic launch to the #InternationalSpaceStation.#MBRSC #MBRSpaceCentre #HazzaaAlMansoori #FirstEmiratiAstronaut #Space@astro_hazzaa @BurjKhalifa pic.twitter.com/bpQHDLZGeU
— MBR Space Centre (@MBRSpaceCentre) September 24, 2019
Russian commander Oleg Skripochka and Nasa astronaut Jessica Meir make up the rest of the team. In a media conference Hazza was asked what he would say during lift off to which he answered: “Tawakal na ala Allah,” which is Arabic for “We rely on the name of the almighty Allah.”
“I had a lot of messages from the entire world from the Arab region wishing me good luck, have a nice mission and come back safely. So I think everyone is with me, especially my wife, my brothers,” he added.
Today the main and backup crews of the September 25 mission held a press conference behind the isolation glass in the presence of the officials from @MBRSpaceCentre, participating space agencies and the astronauts families to discuss the final preparations for the mission. pic.twitter.com/UTRnuS6OjX
— MBR Space Centre (@MBRSpaceCentre) September 24, 2019
During the conference he confirmed that he will live broadcast how to pray on the Space Station, which makes a full orbit of the Earth every 90 minutes.
He will return back on Earth on October 3
Media: Twitter
