The United Arab Emirates selected their first two astronauts, who will go on a mission to the ISS. It is about the 34-year-old Chaze al-Mansuri and the 37-year-old Sultan al-Neadi. This duet should inspire the next generation of the Emirates for space exploration.
UAE Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed last year promised to send 4 cosmonauts to the space station for 5 years. He says $ 5.4 billion could be allocated to the program.
The oil-rich state has already announced plans to become the first Arab country to be able to send an unmanned probe to Mars orbit by 2021. Already chose the name - Hope (Hope). But ideally, the UAE plans to become a world leader in the development of space. The first Arab in space was Sultan ibn Salman Al Saud, who flew in 1985 on the American Shuttle mission. After 2 years, the Syrian pilot Mohammed Faris spent a week aboard the space station of the former USSR Mir.
Mansuri and Neadi visited more than 4,000 applicants for participation in the program and underwent a thorough 6-level verification procedure. In the UAE, they say they are also going to create a real “Scientific City”, which will be able to reproduce life on Mars, and the first settlement will be formed by 2117.