UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi hopes to 'push boundaries of science' during historic space mission. Addressing the media at the John F Kennedy Space Centre, he said the team is physically, mentally and technically ready for this mission. The countdown has begun for that "giant leap" for UAE's space programme as Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi is a few days away from creating history as the first Arab astronaut to go on a six-month space mission.