An Arab astronaut made history in space. Now his country has its sights on Mars

09:01+08:00, AM. Sep. 07, 2023 By Aya Batrawy

Mission Specialist Sultan Alneyadi of the United Arab Emirates, member of the SpaceX Dragon Crew-6 mission, gestures during the crew walkout from the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building for Launch Complex 39A ahead of their liftoff at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on March 1. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The UAE is a small country with big ambitions. Possibly, nowhere is that clearer than in its space program, which has already sent two astronauts to space and has a the atmosphere around Mars.

The country, a little over 50 years old, marked a milestone on Monday after Emirati astronaut Sultan Alneyadi to Earth in a SpaceX capsule following six months aboard the International Space Station. It marked the longest space mission by an Arab astronaut. He also became the first person from the Middle East to conduct a space walk outside the ISS.

In this photo provided by NASA, United Arab Emirates astronaut Sultan Alneyadi gestures as he is helped out of a SpaceX capsule onboard a recovery ship after he and NASA astronauts Warren "Woody" Hoburg and Stephen Bowen and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev landed in the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida coast, Monday. Joel Kowsky/NASA via AP hide caption

toggle caption Joel Kowsky/NASA via AP

Joel Kowsky/NASA via AP

The UAE's relatively nascent space program reflects the country's wider ambitions to secure a spot on the world stage alongside global powers like the United States and China, which have advanced space programs and cutting-edge observation satellites and technology.

in space.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, NASA astronauts Warren "Woody" Hoburg and Stephen Bowen and UAE astronaut Sultan Alneyadi are seen inside the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft onboard the SpaceX recovery ship Megan shortly after landing in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Jacksonville, Fla., on Monday. Joel Kowsky/NASA via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption Joel Kowsky/NASA via Getty Images

Joel Kowsky/NASA via Getty Images

While he is not the first Arab astronaut to travel to space — that was Saudi Arabia's Prince Sultan bin Salman in the early 1990s — and is the second Emirati to do so, Alneyadi's time aboard the ISS highlights the Gulf state's regional edge in space exploration. Saudi Arabia is also revamping its space program in a bid to catch up with its smaller Gulf neighbor.

A five-minute-long exposure shows a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft launched on NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station, at Kennedy Space Center on March 2. Joel Kowsky/NASA via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption Joel Kowsky/NASA via Getty Images

"It was really amazing, especially for my region," Alneyadi said in a video conference a few days . "I felt that I'm responsible, obligated to show what's happening aboard the station. I think it's a small boost towards spreading the enthusiasm in our region"

Moment of national pride

An attendee takes a photo of UAE astronauts Sultan Alneyadi (left) and Hazza Al Mansouri during a press conference held by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre on Feb. 2, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Andrea DiCenzo for NPR hide caption

toggle caption Andrea DiCenzo for NPR

Born and raised in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, the father of six and longtime military engineer is being hailed a national hero in the UAE since his return to Earth.

The UAE's president, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, referred to him as "my son" congratulating him on his achievement. Dubai's ruler and the UAE's vice president, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, shows "we are capable of contributing positively to humanity's scientific and civilized march."

Photos of the UAE astronaut corps on the wall of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The UAE's space sector has grown significantly over the past decade. Andrea DiCenzo for NPR hide caption

toggle caption Andrea DiCenzo for NPR

The UAE has a population of about 10 million, with only about a million of them Emirati citizens and the rest foreign workers. It has limited political freedoms — often drawing criticism from human rights groups — and is led by hereditary rulers from each of its seven emirates. But the rulers have placed a priority on space exploration, spending on various industry projects to spur investments, boost the country's profile and give it a competitive technological edge.

Building a space program with help

The Dubai-based , established in 2006 with just five engineers, has grown to about 250 engineers and scientists. Its has been orbiting Mars since 2021, gathering new findings about the red planet's atmosphere.

"We were paired up with mentors," she said, adding her mentor was an expert at the University of Colorado Boulder who specializes in data analysis in the upper atmosphere of Mars. "We stayed in this mentorship program just until I became the science lead, and that was at the end of 2020."

To Mars and beyond

The UAE announced this year the , a multiyear project that will create numerous private Emirati science and technology companies with the aim of exploring seven asteroids and training young Emiratis in deep space mission control.

Earlier this year, the UAE attempted to join an elite club of global powers that includes just the U.S., the then-Soviet Union, China and in landing a rover on the moon. The joint mission with Japan's ispace lander failed, and the UAE immediately announced work on a new lunar rover.

UAE astronaut Sultan Alneyadi (right) greets a guest at a press conference held by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre on Feb. 2, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Andrea DiCenzo for NPR hide caption

toggle caption Andrea DiCenzo for NPR

"Those types of things will help us hopefully in the future land on the surface of Mars and of course send humans to the surface of Mars," Director General of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre Salem Al Marri told NPR.

From space to social media

In the UAE's tightknit, tribal society, the excitement behind Alneyadi's return to Earth was visible on that carried his picture or lit up for the occasion, and in the local press, which has been dominated by coverage of his mission.

: the beating heart of the Arab world. 🇸🇾 🤍
Here is a view I clicked of Damascus, the oldest continuously inhabited capital in human history with its seven gates and home to the Umayyad Mosque, Barada River, and Mount Qasioun.
Greetings to Syria and its wonderful people.
— Sultan AlNeyadi (@Astro_Alneyadi)

Alneyadi's social media posts, in both English and Arabic, also drew attention during his time in space. His photos from aboard the ISS included views of and , the coastlines of and, of course, . He also sent Ramadan greetings from space that marked the start of the Muslim holy month.

In another key moment, he was joined for several days in May aboard the ISS by two Saudi astronauts, Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi, the first Arab Muslim female astronaut to go to space.

The UAE's Museum of the Future

A view of the entrance to the Museum of the Future in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Andrea DiCenzo for NPR
A display in the Museum of the Future's Heal Institute called "The Library of Life" in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The exhibition contains more than 2,000 species in illuminated glass jars. Andrea DiCenzo for NPR
An elevator inside the Museum of the Future. Andrea DiCenzo for NPR
Visitors line up to take the elevator to the start of the exhibitions at the Museum of the Future. Andrea DiCenzo for NPR
A flying robot above visitors inside the main entrance of the Museum of the Future. Andrea DiCenzo for NPR
School children explore the fictional space station as part of the Museum of the Future's space exhibition. The experience aims to highlight the possibilities of human space travel in the future. Andrea DiCenzo for NPR
A display in The Museum of the Future's Heal Institute named the Library of Life. The exhibition contains more than 2000 species in illuminated glass jars. Andrea DiCenzo for NPR
Visitors at the Museum of the Future's space expedition level. The experience aims to highlight the possibilities of human space travel in the future. Andrea DiCenzo for NPR
School children take pictures during the Space Shuttle Simulation in part of the Museum of the Future's space exhibition. The Museum's experience aims to highlight the possibilities of human space travel in the future. Andrea DiCenzo for NPR

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Alneyadi, a Ph.D. holder in information technology, beat out thousands of candidates in the UAE, passing numerous physical and psychological tests to ensure he could withstand the taxing fitness and mental stress of being in space for many months. He then trained in Russia and the U.S. to become an astronaut.

In one of his final social media posts from space, : "Space, this is not a goodbye. I will see you later, whether on a new mission to the ISS or a farther destination."

Space, this is not a goodbye. I will see you later, whether on a new mission to the ISS or a farther destination.

I thank my beloved country for turning our dreams into achievements and all of you for your trust and affection.
Wish us a safe return. We'll meet soon.
— Sultan AlNeyadi (@Astro_Alneyadi)