Dubai, United Arab Emirates -  September 08, 2019:  The main and back-up crews of the mission going to the International Space Station on September 25th, visited the Gagarin museum at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Star City, Russia, on September 5th where they viewed historic space artifacts and signed the Visitor’s Book in the Museum of Yuri Gagarin’s office. 

They then headed to Red Square in Moscow for traditional ceremonies, including the laying of flowers at the Kremlin Wall where Russian space icons are interred. Members of both crews lay a flower each under both Gagarin’s and Sergei Korolev’s plaques. They also visited the “Oak Cosmos”, which was planted by Gagarin himself on April 14th, 1961 two days after his historic space flight on 12 April.  

The main crew, comprised Hazzaa AlMansoori, Roscosmos Commander Oleg Skripochka, and NASA Flight Engineer Jessica Meir, is set to launch to the ISS on September 25th from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in the Soyuz MS-15. 

Hazzaa AlMansoori will be the first Arab astronaut to be onboard ISS. His scientific mission is packed with experiments in cooperation with global space agencies, as well as experiments simulated from the UAE school curriculum. Part of his mission is educational outreach in which he will be communicating to students live from ISS and addressing their questions.