Mashable: Sheikh Hamdan and Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi met in a Dubai meeting

The Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum recently met the Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi.

The UAE-based astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi received a hero’s welcome when he returned to his homeland last week after spending 186 days in space.

The 42-year-old astronaut accomplished the longest Arab space mission when he arrived on Earth on September 4, 2023, splashing down off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, US.

On Monday, September 25, 2023, Sheikh Hamdan took to the microblogging platform X, formerly known as Twitter and praised the Emirati astronaut for the historic achievement.

I met with Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi today, and the exceptional 'Zayed Ambition 2' team at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre. Congratulations to Sultan for completing the longest space mission by an Arab astronaut, and the MBRSC team for establishing a new Emirati and… pic.twitter.com/8CLJUnMEEZ

— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) September 25, 2023
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed who is also the Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai-based Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) met Sultan Al Neyadi during a meeting on Monday.

During his visit to the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, the Crown Prince of Dubai also acknowledged the crucial work carried out by the MBRSC team leading the momentous Zayed Ambition 2 mission to the orbiting space laboratory International Space Station (ISS).

He also lauded the team behind the historic space mission for setting a new milestone in the Arab space sector.

شكراً لسموكم على دعمكم اللامحدود لبرنامج الفضاء في الإمارات و لبرنامج رواد الفضاء بالتحديد. تحت رئاستكم لمركز محمد بن راشد للفضاء حققنا الكثير و لازال أمامنا أكثر لننجزه. نعدكم سيدي بأن نصل كفريق واحد لأهداف أبعد و إنجازات أكبر تُسجل بإسم بلد اللامستحيل. https://t.co/Mn5hqvjbwJ

— Sultan AlNeyadi (@Astro_Alneyadi) September 25, 2023
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed also reflected on the accomplishments and the upcoming developments in UAE’s space sector in accordance with the vision of UAE leaders President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Vice-President His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Meanwhile, Dr Al Neyadi was greeted by the UAE President Sheikh Mohamed and Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid when he arrived at the new Abu Dhabi International Airport terminal for his homecoming event. He also enjoyed a massive welcome from his hometown Al Ain and its proud residents.