DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - The United Arab Emirates has announced the date the first astronaut from the Gulf Arab nation will go into space. The UAE said on Monday it will send either Hazza al-Mansoori or Sultan al-Neyadi to the International Space Station on Sept. 25 aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket. Organizers had said they’d announce the astronaut who’s going but instead gave just the launch date. The UAE has a fledgling space program with big ambitions. The UAE also says it wants to colonize Mars by 2117, with a fully functioning city of 600,000.

Source: thestar February 25, 2019 08:48 UTC