A significant week for the UAE in space

Sultan Al Neyadi during an interview at the International Space Station on Tuesday, March 7. NASA via AP

Last month, on March 2, when the Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi launched into space aboard the SpaceX rocket Falcon 9 with three crew members, on a six-month mission on the International Space Station, it was a landmark moment for the UAE. His journey was watched widely not just by people in the Emirates, but across the Arab world.

In terms of national pride, the March expedition came after a mission by Al Neyadi's fellow astronaut Hazza Al Mansouri, who on an eight-day trip in 2019 became the first Emirati to travel to space. The two Emirati astronauts, having trained together for more than three years, refer to each other as brothers.

This week, on April 28, Mr Al Neyadi will attempt a space walk. If he succeeds, he will become the first Arab astronaut to step into the void. The endeavour will be live-streamed by Nasa and the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC).

Space walks are challenging and daunting – not least for it being carried out in a suit weighing 127kg and floating in microgravity. But there are other reasons this coming week could be historic.

Since the launch last month, scientific experiments in space have already been under way, with more than 20 different experiments with UAE universities and international universities planned for the 6-month duration of the ISS mission. But this week will be the busiest in terms of the scope of some of these experiments, laden as they are with complexities, and with always the caveat of a reasonable chance of postponement in the interest of safety.

Before the space walk, a more technologically intricate manoeuvre is scheduled for tomorrow, with the attempted lunar landing of the UAE's Rashid rover. A touchdown on the Moon's surface is expected to take place at 8.40 pm on April 25. Even as this is a fragile operation, with no assured chance of success, it must be acknowledged that the UAE's space programme – having reaching this advanced point – has made great leaps.

As the Emirates Lunar Mission manager Hamad Al Marzooqi said, "It's a risky business, but again, it's not the end. At MBRSC, we have plans for what's next. If we can call it a trial, yes, maybe it's a trial. But, again, we will have a second and third." Of all the countries who've attempted the feat, only the US, the former Soviet Union and China have achieved soft landings on the lunar surface.

The fact remains, that whether or not this particular attempt at landing the rover on the moon succeeds, there is much that will be learnt from the mission that will advance space research and inform future lunar expeditions.

Even in a non-ideal scenario such as Elon Musk's SpaceX Starship misadventure last week, where a technical glitch led to the rocket’s disintegration (“rapid unscheduled disassembly”, in SpaceX-speak), critical data was still gathered. It's a helpful reminder to bear in mind, that when it comes to big long-term national projects such as space travel and space research, accomplishments can be immediate, as the UAE well knows. Equally, however, they can also take time and add up slowly – as the old adage goes, in the repeated tries it may take to succeed.