UAE's first astronaut gets stamp of approval ahead of historic mission

Emirates Post has commissioned 150,000 commemorative stamps to mark Hazza Al Mansouri's journey to space on Wednesday

MOSCOW, 29th August, 2019 (WAM) -- The UAE’s first Emirati Astronaut Hazza, along with Sultan Al Neyadi, the reserve astronaut, will start their mock mission tomorrow, ahead of their launch to the IntShow more

A nationwide message of support has been delivered to the UAE's history-making first astronaut after a series of commemorative stamps were unveiled to mark his milestone mission.

Emirates Post has issued six special-edition stamps to be released on the day of Hazza Al Mansouri's momentous journey to the International Space Station.

Maj Al Mansouri will blast off into space on board a Soyuz-MS 15 spacecraft, at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, on Wednesday evening.

The Emirati and his fellow crew will travel about 400km to the ISS, arriving at around midnight.

The stamps honouring the UAE space programme are adorned with images of Maj Al Mansouri and back-up astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, as well as images of the Soyuz craft, the International Space Station and the logo for the mission, bearing the likeness of Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father.

Emirates Post has commissioned 150,000 stamps in partnership with Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, which will be available at the service's happiness centres across the Emirates.

The release of the mementos comes 55 years after former Dubai Ruler, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, issued a stamp to commemorate the first trip to outer space by American astronauts, under the theme ‘Honouring Astronauts’.

Abdulla Al Ashram, acting group chief executive of Emirates Post, is happy to celebrate the UAE's bold step forward in space exploration.

“In 1964, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, God rest his soul, issued a stamp celebrating astronauts and space sciences, which demonstrates the nation’s foresight and vision,” said Mr Al Ashram.

“It is incredible that, in 55 years, this ambition has now been turned into a reality and the UAE is getting closer to achieving its goal of becoming a leader in the space industry.”

Maj Al Mansouri will spend eight days on the ISS, carrying out scientific experiments during his stay,