Emirati Astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi has returned to Earth after spending six months at the International Space Station (ISS). Sultan Al Neyadi and his other Crew-6 members splashed down safely on the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, at 8.17 am UAE time. UAE Leaders took to Twitter to welcome Sultan Al Neyadi and congratulated him on his return to Earth.
Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Chairwoman of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, shared wishes on Twitter and said, “We congratulate Sultan Al Neyadi, our space envoy, on his safe return to Earth, fulfilling a new national aspiration after the success of the longest Arab astronaut mission. We thank God for your safety."
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, also posted a heartfelt message for Sultan Al Neyadi on Twitter. Speaking about dreams and hope, his highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, said, “You carried the dreams of a nation to new frontiers, and we celebrate your pioneering journey and safe return.”
Sultan Al Neyadi became the first Arab astronaut to perform a spacewalk, spent over 4,400 hours in space and conducted over 200 scientific research missions.
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, expressed his pride for Sultan Al Neyadi's 200 experiments and said, "As we look towards new adventures in space, the UAE continues to pursue its vision for a brighter Arab future. We are proud of Sultan's 200 experiments on the ISS, which further consolidate our nation's legacy in the global space arena."
His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chairman of Dubai Airports, also penned his wishes for Sultan Al Neyadi on Twitter and said, "Your International Space Station journey is a testament to Sheikh Mohamed's visionary leadership, in taking our nation's nascent space industry to a new frontier."
Sultan Al Neyadi and NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev will take part in medical tests for a few weeks, and Sultan Al Neyadi will return to the UAE to participate in celebrations being held in his honour.