As it happened: SpaceX Crew-6 land safely on Earth
UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi has returned to Earth, after completing a historic six-month mission aboard the International Space Station.
A SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying him and three fellow astronauts splashed down in the Atlantic, off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, at 8.17am, UAE time, on Monday.
This was the UAE’s second human space flight and the Arab world’s first extended mission – as well as the first time an Arab astronaut performed a spacewalk.
“Welcome home! Crew-6 splashed down safely in the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, at 12:17am ET after 186 days aboard the ISS, completing important research,” Nasa posted on X, formerly Twitter.
President Sheikh Mohamed congratulated UAE astronaut Dr Sultan Al Neyadi on his return to Earth.
“Sultan Al Neyadi, the people of the UAE are immensely proud of you and the entire team for achieving major advances in space exploration,” Sheikh Mohamed wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“You carried the dreams of a nation to new frontiers, and we celebrate your pioneering journey and safe return,” said Sheikh Mohamed.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, said that Dr Al Neyadi's achievements have inspired millions of Arab youth.
“We congratulate the people of the Emirates and all Arab youth on the safe return of Sultan Al Neyadi to planet Earth – the first Arab astronaut on a long mission to the International Space Station,” he wrote.
SpaceX splashdown
A SpaceX crew arrived at the splashdown site on a boat to ensure the capsule was not leaking any toxic gases, before they could transport it to a recovery ship.
Once the craft was tightly secured on to the SpaceX recovery vessel, engineers then unbolted the hatch so the astronauts can exit.
Dr Al Neyadi and his colleagues were carried out of the capsule and were placed in a gurney-type transport.
Dr Al Neyadi was seen smiling and waving to the camera after leaving the capsule.
Astronauts who spend long periods of time in space often cannot walk straight away after returning, as their bodies get used to gravity again.
The recovery could take up to two hours.
Time in space
Dr Al Neyadi carried out more than 200 science experiments aboard the orbiting outpost, including ones assigned by Nasa and ones by universities across the UAE.
He also spent much of his time documenting Earth from above, particularly Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa region.
Pupils across the UAE spoke with him through live calls, as part of the A Call from Space outreach initiative by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre – the organisation that oversees the country’s astronaut programme.
Mission not yet over
Al though Dr Al Neyadi is back from space, his mission is not yet over, as he must work with researchers to complete the science investigations in which he took part in.
He will report back to them on the work that he did, as well as participate in medical tests that measure the impact microgravity may have had on his mental and physical health.
Dr Al Neyadi will also be participating in a mandatory recovery programme that would help him get used to gravity again.
Spending long periods of time in space can cause bone density and muscle loss, so they are required to exercise at least two hours daily while in orbit.
Hanan Al Suwaidi, an Emirati physician who looks after Dr Al Neyadi's health, said that the astronaut will undergo the same recovery programme in Houston, Texas, that all Nasa astronauts go through after long-duration missions.
“Overall, Sultan's health has been maintained through the prescribed protocols in terms of an exercise regimen and nutritional requirements during his mission in the past six months,” Dr Al Suwaidi said during a virtual media briefing on Sunday.
“He was maintaining this very well and we had no concerns during the whole mission.
“When the crew will come back, they will have known few symptoms like some nausea, some challenges in adapting to gravity, but this is usually overcome quickly in the first few hours.”
When is the next UAE human space flight?
The UAE has four members in its astronaut corps, which also includes Hazza Al Mansouri, the first Emirati in space, Nora Al Matrooshi and Mohammed Al Mulla.
Officials at the space centre have previously said that they are looking to send astronauts to space every two to three years.
Ms Al Matrooshi, the first Emirati woman to be selected as an astronaut, and Mr Al Mulla are currently training at Nasa's Johnson Space Centre in Houston.
They will become eligible for Nasa-led missions once they graduate.
The UAE has also set its sights on the Moon and hopes to send astronauts there in future.
Al Ain prepares to welcome Sultan Al Neyadi home – in pictures
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From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
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