Hazza Al Mansoori, the first-ever UAE or Arabic astronaut, has made history by landing back on Earth on Thursday afternoon following an eight-day visit to the International Space Station.
Touching down at exactly 3pm GST on Thursday October 3, Al Mansoori joined fellow astronauts Alexey Ovchinin and Nick Hague, who had previously spent 203 days and nights aboard the ISS.
During a visit lasting little over a week, Al Mansoori conducted, according to WAM: “various scientific missions”, which are set to significantly advance the UAE’s status among its international peers in space science and research, while also contributing towards the county’s aspirations to “transform itself into a knowledge-based economy”.
He answered questions live on social media during his stay, and wore the traditional Emirati kandoura, while sharing meals with his fellow astronauts.
Having successfully landed at exactly 3.00pm in a Soyuz MS-12 capsule in what NASA described a “bullseye touchdown right on time” in Kazakhstan, following a “perfectly nominal re-entry process”, Al Mansoori and his fellow astronauts will be medically assessed due to the prolonged effects of zero-gravity stasis aboard the ISS.
During its re-entry through the Earth’s atmosphere, the capsule was exposed to outside temperatures of more than 2,500 Fahrenheit (more than 1,350oC). The capsule landed on its side when it touched down, and the first teams on the ground reported that all astronauts were perfectly safe and healthy.
Expect to hear lots more about it in the coming days, as Al Mansoori will no doubt return to a hero’s welcome when he makes his way back to the UAE.
Watch the moment he landed back on Earth here:
