Sultan Al Neyadi to carry out second mission outside space station on Saturday

UAE astronaut will help to move Dragon capsule to new docking point as it makes room for cargo craft

Sultan AlNeyadi will join in a mission to relocate the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft’s docking port on Saturday to make way for the arrival of an upcoming cargo spacecraft on the International Space Station. Sultan Al Neyadi / TwitterShow less

The UAE's Sultan Al Neyadi and his fellow astronauts have tried on their spacesuits as they prepare for Saturday's mission to move the Dragon capsule that carried them to the International Space Station.

The craft has to be moved to a new docking point to make way for a cargo vessel due to arrive next month.

Dr Al Neyadi shared an update on Twitter on Friday showing him and his crew team in their spacesuits, ready for the mission.

“Exciting times ahead! Here I am with my Crew-6 team, as we tried on our SpaceX suits once again for the upcoming Dragon Endeavour relocation mission,” he tweeted.

“Tomorrow, we will be moving the spacecraft to another location on the ISS. Looking forward to executing the mission successfully.”

The crew will put their parking skills to the test this weekend, to make room for the arrival of a cargo craft bringing supplies to the International Space Station.

The Nasa and SpaceX Crew-6 team — made up of Dr Al Neyadi, US astronauts Stephen Bowen and Woody Hoburg and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev — will on Saturday relocate the Dragon capsule that carried them to the ISS.

They will undock from the space-facing port of the station's Harmony Module at about 3pm GST, moving the capsule to the forward Harmony port an estimated 43 minutes later.

The switch, supported by the Mission Control Centre at Nasa's Johnson Space Centre in Houston, will create space to dock the Dragon cargo craft, which blasts off in June.

The move will involve the astronauts donning their spacesuits to enter the capsule before carefully flying it a short distance to its new docking position.

It will be the latest project in what has been a busy time in space for Dr Al Neyadi.

On Friday, he floated into the history books as the first person from the Arab world to complete a spacewalk.

He completed the six-and-a-half hour trek, after leaving the ISS on Friday at 5.41pm GST with colleague Mr Bowen, and re-entered the orbiting laboratory at about 11.40pm.

The pair carried out two crucial tasks during their maintenance assignment, including preparing a structure on the station’s exterior for a future solar array installation.

The father of six, from Al Ain, shared time-lapse video footage of the remarkable event on social media on Tuesday and told of his pride at breaking new ground for his nation and the region.

“After completing my first spacewalk, I am humbled by the experience,” Dr Al Neyadi wrote on Twitter.

“Here’s a time-lapse capturing one of my most surreal moments on the ISS.

“Thank you to everyone for the unwavering support. Onward to new frontiers”

Dr Al Neyadi arrived at the ISS on March 3 for the start of a six-month journey through space.

He is the first Arab to take part in a mission of such duration.

Al Neyadi's historic spacewalk - in pictures

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  Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi posted new pictures of his April 28 spacewalk. Photo: @Astro_Alneyadi / Twitter

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  Dr Al Neyadi made history by becoming the first Arab to walk in space. Photo: @Astro_Alneyadi / Twitter

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  He was assisted by American astronaut Stephen Bowen. Photo: @Astro_Alneyadi / Twitter

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  The spacewalk lasted six and a half hours. Photo: @Astro_Alneyadi / Twitter

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  Dr Al Neyadi prepares for the spacewalk. All subsequent photos: Nasa

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  Dr Al Neyadi steps out of the International Space Station

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  Fellow UAE astronaut Hazza Al Mansouri, increment lead of Expedition 69 on Earth, monitoring the mission from the Johnson Space Centre

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  The view from Dr Al Neyadi's camera

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  The astronauts outside the space station

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  The astronauts carry out maintenance work on the International Space Station

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  Dr Al Neyadi, top, carries out repairs outside the ISS

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  The pair exited the space station at 5.41pm GST

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  The spacewalk officially began at 5.11pm when their spacesuits switched to battery power

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  While the spacesuits weigh 127kg, astronauts cannot feel this weight in space

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  The astronauts are tethered to the station while floating in microgravity more than 400km above the Earth

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  Dr Al Neyadi carries out repairs