The UAE is abuzz with anticipation as citizens from all walks of life, including students, ministers, businessmen, and residents, prepare to welcome home their space-faring hero, Sultan AlNeyadi, on Monday, September 18.
AlNeyadi, who completed the longest Arab space mission to date, proudly hoisted the UAE flag aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for six months. His historic voyage included becoming the first Arab to walk in space, a breathtaking seven-hour sojourn outside the orbital station.
To celebrate the monumental achievement, UAE telecom operators Etisalat by e& and du renamed their mobile phone network displays to ‘Back2UAE’. This rename echoes previous network name changes that were orchestrated to honor significant milestones in the nation’s space journey, fostering a spirit of unity and celebration across the country.
AlNeyadi’s remarkable journey tallied up to 4,400 hours in space, during which he conducted over 200 experiments involving ten international space agencies and 25 universities globally and within the UAE. His collaborative efforts took a staggering 585 hours, leaving an indelible mark in the field of space research.
His return to Earth earlier this month on September 4, aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule, marked the end of this historic mission. Still, his homecoming will be celebrated today with a live stream event organized by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC). The event, which goes by the hashtag #SultanHomecoming, will start at 5:30 pm, capturing AlNeyadi’s much-awaited return.
The telecom operators’ gesture continues a tradition of celebrating the nation’s strides in space technology. Previously, the network names were changed to ‘UAE2Space’ in February to mark AlNeyadi’s departure and ‘UAE2Mars’ in July 2020 to support the launch of the Hope Probe, the inaugural mission to Mars from the Arab world. In September 2019, ‘1stUAEAstro’ recognized Hazzaa AlMansoori as the first Emirati astronaut to journey into space.