On September 25 at 5:57 pm, a new era in the scientific and cultural history of the UAE began. Astronaut Hazza Al Mansouri visited the International Space Station as part of a joint scientific mission from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. This is certainly not an ordinary scientific mission.
Space exploration has long been an aspiration of developed countries. The dream came true two years after the launch of the United Arab Emirates Astronaut Program. Launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President, Prime Minister and Leader of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, in April 2017, the programme has produced its first results and reveals the realism of the dream and the desire to succeed.
Two years ago, the selection journey of the first Emirates astronaut began. Hazza Al Mansouri and Sultan Al Neyadi were selected from among the 4,000 citizens who applied for the first Emirati ambassadors in space.
Al Mansouri’s dream, when he saw the picture of the first Arab astronaut in his fourth grade Arabic book, Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz, came true today. “I remember the moment I dreamed of seeing myself get to that same place,” he said yesterday. “It was the beginning of the spark that made me look at the stars and dream of reaching them one day.” As Al Mansouri’s dream has come true, the dreams of tens of thousands of our young people await their turn to see the light, to carry the UAE flag to glory in various arenas.
Success is not a coincidence. Success is the result of conscious planning and vision that began with the construction of the state by founding leader Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. For the man who said, “Man is the most valuable asset we have,” investing in people comes before building. School construction has been done in tandem with tower construction and factories. Success is the fruit of planning by the supportive leadership that believed in the abilities of the country’s youth. Our leadership has focused on building the capacity of young people to live up to their dreams and ambitions. Sky is the limit.
Hazza Al Mansouri’s exploit marked the beginning of a new history for the UAE’s space travel. The mission of September 25, 2019 will remain a milestone in the history of our country, as will the mission of December 2, 1971. The Emirates flag landed on the ISS in the hands of the country’s son, helped by Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka and American astronaut Jessica Meir.
A new scientific achievement in space exploration, the mission made the founder leader’s dream come true. In 1974, he met a NASA delegation that included American astronaut James Erwin, one of the astronauts who made exploration journeys to the Moon. Two years later, the founding director received three American astronauts, Thomas Stafford, Vance Brand and Deke Slayton. “In the United Arab Emirates, we keep pace with time and try to get everything new that will benefit us in our present and future,” he told them. “By doing this, you have opened the way for other scientists to see what they can’t know.”
Today, one of Zayed’s sons joined the astronauts, fulfilling Zayed’s dream and the aspiration of our wise leadership. This national and global-lever event is the United Arab Emirates’ first step in building its scientific future in space. The event is also a new brick in the inspiring model that our country is giving the region, amid the news of terrorism, extremism and wars.
From the Arab world, where many people live in conflict and conflict, a glimmer of hope shines at the end of the tunnel for millions of young people, inspiring them to dream of a better future. A huge scientific leap, this dream is not only that of Al Mansouri, but that of the Emirates, its people and its leaders.
Congratulations to all those who have collaborated to make this great achievement of science possible.
