December 2017: The hunt for the UAE’s first Emirati astronaut was announced by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
March 31, 2018: Applications closed with 4,022 candidates. This was trimmed down to 95 who made it for the medical assessments. This was further cut down to nine candidates.
September 3, 2018: Hazzaa Al Mansoori and Sultan Al Neyadi began training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre (GCTC) in Russia
February 25, 2019: Hazzaa Al Mansoori and Sultan Al Neyadi were presented to the public for the first time as the two finalists for the UAE Astronaut Corps.
April 12, 2019: Hazzaa was announced as the Prime Astronaut, while Sultan was the back-up astronaut.
May 5, 2019: The two Emirati astronauts were measured for their custom seats for the Soyuz MS-15 journey to the International Space Station.
August 29 and 30: Hazzaa and Sultan complete their final qualifying exams at GCTC.
September 10: Hazzaa and Sultan travel to Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
September 25: Hazzaa is blasted off to space onboard the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft with Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka and Nasa astronaut Jessica Meir.
September 26 to October 2: Hazzaa conducts science experiments in space, on fluid dynamics, cardiovector, time perception, osteology; holds almost daily radio and video sessions with students, officials in UAE.
October 3: Hazzaa returns to Earth with Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin and Nasa astronaut Nick Hague.
October 12: Hazzaa returns home.
— Gulf News Archives
