Look: UAE’s first astronaut Hazzaa Al Mansoori gets trained for future lunar missions
MBRSC shares photos of him undergoing SEATEST-6 training with famous astronauts
Dubai: He successfully completed his task of being the first Arab Increment Lead for Expedition 69 during the longest Arab space mission by his colleague Sultan Al Neyadi just a few days ago.
Hazza Al Mansoori, the UAE’s first-ever astronaut to go to space, is now back in action, training for a bigger mission in human spaceflight.
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) in Dubai on Wednesday evening released the images of Al Mansoori conducting training that will equip him for future lunar missions.
MBRSC said Al Mansoori conducted the SEATEST-6 training which stands for Space Environment Analog for Testing EVA Systems and Training. EVA is Extravehicular Activity which is also known as a spacewalk.
Al Mansoori, who had spent eight days on the International Space Station during the UAE’s first-ever human spaceflight in 2019, has embarked on a new journey that would test his physical and mental endurance while refining his skills for the demanding lunar environment.
Training schedule
His latest training schedule included diving, simulating the lunar surface environment, and transferring payloads, according to MBRSC.
The agency posted Al Mansoori’s photos with his fellow trainees who included big names like NASA astronauts Jonny Kim and Sunita Williams and Canadian astronaut Jenni Sidey-Gibbons.
A former US Navy Seal, Kim was one of the 18 astronauts selected by NASA to form its Artemis Team and help pave the way for the next astronaut missions on and around the Moon as part of the Artemis Programme.
The second American astronaut of Indian heritage to go into space, Williams is a veteran who had set several records as a woman astronaut during her missions to the ISS.
Canadian Space Agency’s third female astronaut, Sidey-Gibbons was the youngest astronaut candidate ever selected by the CSA at the age of 28.
Al Mansoori’s participation in this training represents not only a significant milestone in his own space journey but also a testament to the UAE’s commitment to human space exploration, paving the way for future missions.
Astronauts Mohammad Al Mulla and Nora Al Matrooshi, the duo who form the second batch of Emirati astronauts, also recently underwent training that included classes covering topics such as the surfaces of the Moon and Mars.
They also drew a geological map which helps to display where different rocks and features exist on the surfaces of the Moon and Mars.