UAE makes history: Astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi blasts off on longest Arab space mission; as it happened.

This will be the second launch attempt after the first had to be scrubbed in the final two minutes of the countdown over an 'unusual data signature' from the Falcon-9 rocket's ignition fluid.

The mission was given the green light on Wednesday, with 95 per cent chance of favorable weather conditions and all systems thoroughly checked.

Speaking at a post-launch conference at Nasa, Salem AlMarri, director-general of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, said the next space flight will probably happen in the next three to five years.

“We are currently focused on this mission (UAE Mission 2) .... We currently have four astronauts, and we are planning on short and long-duration missions. The next flight can happen in the next 3-5 years," he said.

Expert explains:

Mohammed AlBulooshi, manager of the Space Operations Section at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, the launch was a "historic moment not only for the UAE but for the entire Arab world".

"We are really excited, and we’ll wait for Dragon to arrive at the ISS," he added.

Explaining the procedures, AlBulooshi said: “The launch phase starts even before the liftoff. Technical reviews to decide whether to proceed with the launch and even weather forecast briefings take place continuously. The decision goes on until ‘Launch -45 seconds’ whether it will be a ‘go or no-go’. Today, we heard that we are good for the lift-off.

After two minutes, the first stage of the rocket separation happened. Then after eight minutes the second stage separation took place, and the Dragon entered the orbit of the ISS.

SpaceX Dragon takes off.

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, atop a Falcon 9 rocket, carried the UAE astronaut and Mission Specialist Al Neyadi, along with two NASA astronauts, Mission Commander Stephen Bowen, and Pilot Warren Hoburg, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.

The Dragon carrying the astronauts and the Falcon 9 were separated as planned, with the capsule travelling at around 7,500 kilometers per hour.

The Falcon 9 is descending back to Earth and is expected to land on a floating SpaceX pontoon in the Atlantic, over the Florida coast.

UAE marks another milestone.

Al Neyadi’s launch into space is one of the many significant strides the UAE has made for space exploration in recent years.

In July 2020, the Emirates launched its first interplanetary mission, the Mars Hope Probe. The goal of the mission was to study the Martian atmosphere and climate.

On February 9, 2022, the UAE marked a full year since the Hope Probe reached Mars. This milestone marked the Emirates as the world’s fifth country to do so, as well as the first in the Arab World.

The UAE has been investing heavily in its space sector in recent years.

In 2019, it established the UAE Space Agency, which is responsible for developing and implementing the country’s space policy and strategy.

The agency has also signed agreements with other countries and organisations to collaborate on space exploration projects.

The Emirates has also launched several satellites in recent years, including the KhalifaSat imaging satellite in 2018 and the DubaiSat-1 and DubaiSat-2 Earth observation satellites in 2009 and 2013, respectively.