Hamdan bin Mohammed: The launch was postponed, but the ambition is not to be postponed, but rather to new horizons

Yesterday, NASA and SpaceX postponed the attempt to launch the (crew-6) mission, which includes Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, to the International Space Station, on the longest journey of an Arab astronaut, due to a problem related to ground systems.

According to NASA, the mission teams decided to postpone until the problem that prevents the data from confirming the full load of the ignition source for the Falcon 9 launch rocket engines, represented by triethylaluminum and triethylboron, is studied.

SpaceX removed the propellant from the Falcon 9 rocket, and the astronauts exited the Dragon spacecraft to the astronaut crew headquarters, while the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft were returned to the safe equipment stage.

And the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center announced that a new date for the launch of the (Crew-6) mission will be set on March 2 at 9:34 am (UAE time), indicating that the date is subject to change based on the extent to which the technical reason for the postponement has been addressed. While NASA confirmed that the selection of the new date is based on addressing the technical problems that caused the cancellation of the first launch, and it was also decided to waive the setting of the launch date for today, Tuesday, February 28, due to bad weather.

Yesterday, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, Chairman of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, attended the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, to follow up on the launch of the longest space mission in the history of the Arabs from the control room.

His Highness said in a tweet on “Twitter”: “The launch was postponed … but the ambition remains, it does not delay or stop, but rather proceeds, with God’s help, to new horizons.” His Highness added, “We always wish success and safety to the Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi and his fellow Crew-6 crew.”

In turn, Hamad Al Mansouri, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, said that the reason for the postponement was a technical challenge, and what we care about is the safety of the astronauts, indicating that a meeting took place between NASA and SpaceX to set a new date for the launch, provided that we witness the launch The longest mission of an Arab astronaut soon.

“I am proud of the focus of the NASA team and SpaceX, for their dedication to keeping the crew-6 safe,” said NASA official Bill Nelson, stressing that “human spaceflight is an inherently risky endeavor, and as always, we will fly when we are ready.”

NASA and SpaceX will hold a teleconference before the next launch attempt, with more details being provided as they become available.

Before the first launch attempt, astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi bid farewell to his children and caressed them after wearing a “space suit”, before setting off for the launch field in Florida, where Al Neyadi wrote on his Twitter page: “On this earth, I bid farewell to God everyone I love and go to Space.. I entrust God to a homeland that chose the stars as a path and ambition as a goal. I entrust you to God until a close encounter in space.

Al Neyadi also signed the wall of the White Room, a tradition followed by astronauts, while checks were carried out inside the Dragon capsule to ensure the safety of the mission crew.

For her part, Emirati astronaut Nora Al Matrooshi explained the reasons for placing the astronauts in quarantine before heading to the International Space Station. She said: “Placing the astronauts in quarantine before the launch comes to prevent infection and the spread of diseases, as the astronauts, their families, and the people who are in direct contact with them are isolated, and this keeps preventing any delay in the launch schedule and preserving the safety of the crew heading to the International Space Station and the crew.” in it.”

The (crew-6) mission is the first long-term mission of Arab astronauts, and the second Emirati mission to the International Space Station, and was launched by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center as part of the UAE Astronaut Program. In addition to Sultan Al Neyadi, the mission crew includes the mission commander, astronaut Stephen Bowen (NASA), the spacecraft commander, astronaut Warren Hoberg (NASA), and the astronaut mission specialist Andrei Vidyaev (Roscosmos), while the backup crew for the mission includes: astronaut Hazza Al-Mansoori, spacecraft commander Yasmine Moghbeli (NASA), pilot Andreas Mogensen from the European Space Agency, and Konstantin Borisov from the European Space Agency.

Al Himma is part of Expedition 68/69, where Roscosmos astronauts Nikolai Schap and Oleg Kononenko, and NASA astronaut Laurel O’Hara, will later join the team. The term International Space Station Expedition is usually applied to the crew that operates the space station and uses it for research and selection.

During the mission, Al-Neyadi will conduct a series of experiments and advanced research in order to reach important scientific results about outer space, in addition to his participation in an awareness and educational program. The International Space Station and the 11th country in the world that sends astronauts on long-term missions to the International Space Station, and works to train and prepare them to walk in space.

Sultan Al Neyadi spent more than 1,700 hours of testing and training for the space mission, as the exercises began with “NASA” in early 2020, and the exercises took place in the neutral buoyancy laboratory of “NASA” at the Johnson Space Center.

The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center stated that Al Neyadi participated in underwater exercises to simulate spacewalking, trained on a T-38 jet, trained in the use of a spacewalk suit and a robotic arm, and participated in exercises dealing with possible emergency scenarios.

The exercises included training for all sections and units of the International Space Station, crew rescue exercises, and daily task exercises.

The Crew-6 mission is scheduled to conduct a scientific experiment in cooperation with NASA, the European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency, the National Center for Space Studies in France, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

It will cover a wide range of areas, including the cardiovascular system, epigenetics, botany, radiology, back pain, immunology, materials science, testing and experimentation of techniques, hydrology and sleep studies.

Consolidate the position of the Emirates

The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center confirmed that the mission aims to consolidate the UAE’s position as a global partner in manned space missions, and to enhance cooperation between countries and entities to achieve common goals with scientific discoveries and obtain a sustainable future for humanity, and support the UAE’s vision for building an economy based on knowledge and scientific research. And paving the way for future initiatives that contribute to strengthening the UAE’s leading position in the space exploration sector, as well as contributing to global space exploration missions by developing and preparing a team of Emirati astronauts, and encouraging a culture of scientific research, discovery and innovation.

Hamad Al Mansouri:

What we care about is the safety of the astronauts.. and we will witness the launch of the first Arab astronaut mission soon.

Bill Nelson:

Proud of the NASA and SpaceX team focus for their dedication to keeping the crew safe.

NASA and SpaceX decided to postpone it due to a problem with the crew-6 ground systems.