Nasa astronaut stranded on ISS for nine months praises UAE's space ambitions

Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams has hailed the UAE's commitment to space exploration as she revealed what it was like to be stranded on the International Space Station for nine months.

“The UAE is already committed to having astronauts fly in space,” Ms Williams said at an event in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

The nation's ambition to become a leading spacefaring nation was clear, she added, as was its intention to work collaboratively with other countries to make scientific discoveries.

During her 27-year-career, the 61-year-old has spent 608 days in space, providing her with a unique insight into the sector.

What was meant to be an eight-day-long test flight in 2024 ended up with Ms Williams calling the ISS home for 286 days after her crew's Boeing Starliner encountered technical failures and was sent back unmanned.

“Getting used to gravity is tough. This time, I was about 10 years older than when I flew last time and it took quite an adjustment,” Ms Williams told The National.

Recovery from that trip took longer too – almost two years rather than the one year it took following her previous space mission.

“I could definitely tell this time it took a little bit of a toll on me, but I'm finally feeling like I'm getting the speed. I'm back, I can't escape gravity,” she said at the UAE Space Biotech and LEO (Low Earth Orbit) Commercialisation Symposium in Masdar City.

“This is a new chapter,” said Ms Williams, who now works as an astronaut adviser at commercial space flight firm Vast. “Of course, I'd like to fly again. But that's not my role right now. My role is to help start these companies up and get things going.”

Vast, a US space infrastructure company founded in 2021, hopes to provide commercial alternatives for the international space station, which is due to be phased out in 2030 or 2031.

The company's first space station, Haven-1, will launch in early 2027.

Show caption: Former Nasa astronaut Sunita Williams speaks on a panel with…

Final frontier

The UAE's impact on the space sector is only going to grow with the advances made by commercial companies, said one expert.

“As commercial stations emerge, the UAE has an opportunity to help shape the future of research,” said Salem Al Qubaisi, director general of the UAE Space Agency.

“Our strategy promotes international partnership, reciprocal access to facilities and joint missions. Our focus must remain on clear solutions for Earth, not only space.”

Space exploration requires global collaboration, said Mohammed Al Mulla, a former Dubai Police pilot selected in 2021 to join the UAE's astronaut programme.

“We learnt that we need to go to space together. It's never been someone or a country by itself,” Mr Al Mulla said at the event.

“It's all about collaboration … and nowadays, [the] private sector is doing a great job pushing space technology even further and faster so that it will be a huge collaboration in the future.”

The UAE's National Space Strategy 2031 aims to bring together research, industry and investment to enable national companies to contribute to developing and manufacturing advanced space technologies.

The country also has ambitions to be one of the world’s 10 leading space economies by 2031.

The first commercial satellite to be built entirely in the UAE was launched this month in what has been hailed as a major leap forward in the nation's quest to be a global leader in the space sector.

Altair-1, designed, assembled and tested in Abu Dhabi, blasted off from Vandenburg Space Force Base in California aboard the Transporter-18 ride-share mission.

In May, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, unveiled a Dh1 billion ($272.2 million) strategy to advance the UAE's role in the space sector.

Sheikh Hamdan said the launch of the International Space Co-operation Programme would support the country's mission to cement its growing status as a major player in the booming industry.