Sultan Al Neyadi is the first Arab to serve on the International Space Station for a six-month mission, the first Arab to perform a spacewalk and one of the first two astronauts from the UAE, along with Hazza Al Mansouri.

Dr Al Neyadi has joined a very select group of people, becoming one of only 270 people from 21 different countries to have visited the International Space Station.

His stint in orbit was a milestone for the UAE and a symbol of the country’s ambitions in the realm of science and exploration. So what does this mission mean for the UAE’s future astronauts? And what’s next for Arab space exploration?