UAE astronaut Sultan al Neyadi, who is celebrating the occasion of Eid al-Fitr this year at the International Space Station, sent his wishes to everyone from sky-high on Friday with a video message shared on his social media account.
In a video he posted on Twitter, Al Neyadi was seen floating in zero gravity at the ISS alongside his companion ‘astro’ Suhail. Suhail is a mascot for the nation’s space mission. Suhail tagged along Dr Al Neyadi and his crewmates as they took off from the Kennedy Space Centre early March.
In his special message from zero gravity, the astronaut was seen making jokes about how Suhail and he both are wearing their best attire for the feast for Eid al-Fitr. He sent his wishes to his family, his country, and everyone across the world.
On March 2, Al Neyadi took part in NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission, which sent him to the International Space Station. On April 28, he is slated to go for a spacewalk.
Al Neyadi was seen wearing a white kandura, a traditional dress men wear in UAE. The one-minute video also had some celebratory Arabic music playing in the background.
In the caption, Al Neyadi wrote, “Usually, Eid is with my family and children. But today, I’ll be celebrating Eid with my trusty companion Suhail.”
“On this blessed occasion, I send my warmest greetings to my family, friends, and everyone back on Earth. May this special occasion bring you peace, happiness, and prosperity. Eid Mubarak!,”
Saeed Al Emadi, an Emirati artist is behind Suhail, the space mascot. Al Emadi from the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre sketched this character to pique everyone’s interest in space.
The video shows the Al Nayedi and Suhail inside the Cupola observatory module of the International Space Station.
Suhail, in the video, can be seen wearing a grey kandura. It is interesting as Suhail is usually seen wearing a SpaceX spacesuit.
بالعادة العيد مع أهلي وعيالي لكن اليوم أنا مع صديقي سهيل وكاشخين كشخة العيد في محطة الفضاء الدولية.
وفي هذه المناسبة، أرسل سلامي إلى قادة الوطن وعائلتي وأصدقائي ولكم جميعًا. عسى أن يحمل هذا العيد السلام والسعادة والخير للعالم أجمع. 🌍
كل عام وانتم بألف خير وعساكم من عوّاده. 🌙 pic.twitter.com/YX7x1tOYrn
— Sultan AlNeyadi (@Astro_Alneyadi) April 21, 2023
Al Neyadi also provided a brief tour of the dome-shaped bay window. It was a breathtaking view of the planet from a height of 400 km.
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Al Neyadi has been doing scientific research throughout the whole month of Ramadan. He is presently on a half-year assignment atop the orbiting space station.
It is not the first time Al Nayedi shared a video from sky-high. The trailblazing Emirati astronaut has been posting gorgeous and amazing photographs of Earth from orbit. Early this week, AlNeyadi published a stunning video shot from the orbiting laboratory that displayed Makkah, Madinah, and Jeddah, the three Saudi Arabian cities, gleaming at night.
“This is the city to which Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) immigrated with his beloved people,” AlNeyadi wrote.
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