Abu Dhabi, UAE

Emirati astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi scripted history on Friday by completing the first spacewalk for an Arab astronaut outside the International Space Station (ISS). AlNayedi held the UAE flag with "Impossible is Possible" written on his spacesuit sleeve. 

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At 5.11 p.m. (UAE time), AlNeyadi and veteran NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen began their more than six-hour spacewalk. They were helped into their gear by NASA flight engineers Woody Hoburg and Frank Rubio, who were present on board the ISS. "Sultan, congratulations, you are making history today." Hoburg said. 

Al Neyadi participated in the NASA SpaceX Crew-6 mission, which sent him to the International Space Station, on March 2. The UAE astronaut al Neyadi also celebrated Eid al-Fitr this year at the ISS whereby he sent his wishes to everyone from sky-high on Friday with a video message shared on his social media account.   

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UAE astronaut Hazzaa AlMansoori served as the point of contact between the ISS crew and the ground crew during Expedition 69. He was the first Emirati to travel to space in 2019. 

From the NASA Johnson Space Centre in Houston, he kept an eye on the mission. Following all the action from the ISS, the Emirati crew at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) was also quite active.

Bowen, who was the lead spacewalker on his eighth spacewalk. He was the first to exit the Joint Quest Airlock on the ISS in red stripes spacesuit. AlNeyadi took the first step outside the ISS at 5:39 p.m. (UAE time). 

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During the live transmission, AlNeyadi can be heard receiving praise from the NASA crew in Houston for his excellent work. "That was impressive, Sultan. You have a surgeon's hands,” the ground controller told the Emirati astronaut.

The two astronauts and the NASA ground controller were in continual contact. AlNeyadi and Bowen were further instructed to inspect their gloves and helmet absorption pad (HAP) after every 90 minutes to make sure there was no moisture inside of their helmets or rips in their gloves.

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The oxygen levels, water use for cooling, battery power, and carbon dioxide removal were all observed by the ground teams. The first assignment, prepping a section of the ISS for the construction of a future solar array, was successfully finished by Al Neyadi and Bowen.

However, they were unable to complete the second task, removing an outdated component of the Radio Frequency Group. They faced trouble trying to remove the bolts which were holding the ISS antenna in place. Even after exerting pressure and being told to use a hammer, the two astronauts were unable to remove it.

Then, NASA gave them the go-ahead to forego retrieving the unit that was intended to be retrieved from space and returned to the station for refurbishment.

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