UAE Astronaut
Hazzaa AlMansoori is the first Emirati astronaut. In 2019, he embarked on the UAE’s first scientific mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission carried the slogan ‘Zayed’s Ambition’, making the UAE the 19th country worldwide, and the first country in the Arab region, to travel to the ISS.
AlMansoori also became the back-up Astronaut for Sultan AlNeyadi, for the UAE’s second mission to the ISS, which is also the longest Arab space mission. He also became the first Arab Increment Lead for an ISS expedition during this mission. In his role as lead, Al Mansoori guided the ISS crew through every aspect of the mission.
AlMansoori was also trained on the spacesuit, weighing up to 10 kgs and how to wear at zero gravity. He also trained to perform daily tasks such as preparing food, how to use the camera to document events, taking pictures of the Earth, communicating with the ground stations, and other day-to-day tasks during the mission. AlMansoori underwent more than 90 courses, with the total number of training hours exceeding 1,400 hours.
AlMansoori further successfully completed his first year of training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in 2021 and is currently ready to work as an operator onboard the International Space Station.
He trained in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL), passed evaluations which included using the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), maintenance of the International Space Station, the Incapacitated Crew Rescue (ICR), and completed theoretical and practical training sessions on the T-38 jet.
