The United Arab Emirates (UAE) plan to train more astronauts for the Arab world, Yousuf Hamad Al Shaibani, the director general of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), said on Monday, Trend reports citing Sputnik.
He was speaking on the occasion of the end of UAE future spacemen's examination training in Russia's Gagarin State Scientific Research and Testing Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC).
"Our mission is to guarantee stability of the UAE spacemen training program, and we aim to teach and prepare more Emirati spacemen to contribute to enrichment of the Arab region, and also the global scientific community," Al Shaibani said, as quoted in an MBRSC statement.
In June 2018, Roscosmos and the MBRSC signed an agreement regarding the flight of the first UAE spaceman to the International Space Station. In September that year, two UAE candidates, Hazza Mansouri and Sultan Neyadi, began their training in the GCTC. Mansouri is due to head for the International Space Station in late September and come back on October 3.