Baikonur (Kazakhstan) (AFP)

Three astronauts including Hazza Al Mansouri, the UAE's first citizen in space, took off Wednesday from the Russian cosmodrome of Baikonur, Kazakhstan, bound for the International Space Station (ISS).

The Soyuz MS-15 ship carrying Hazza Al Mansouri, the American Jessica Meir and the Russian Oleg Skripotchka safely left the Kazakh steppes at about 13:57 GMT for a journey of about six hours to the international orbital station.

The capsule in which the three astronauts took place correctly separated from the rocket exactly 8 minutes and 48 seconds after takeoff, reaching the orbit that will allow it to join the ISS, said Roskosmos on Twitter.

Mooring with the ISS is scheduled at 19:45 GMT.

Aged 35, Hazza Al Mansouri allows the Emirates to join the small club of Arab countries that sent a man into space, ahead of Saudi Arabia in 1985 and Syria in 1987.

This fighter pilot will also become the first astronaut of an Arab country to tread the ISS. Hazza Al Mansouri, whose participation in this flight was confirmed only very late, shared his "real honor" to participate in this mission, which causes an immense fervor to the Emirates.

During the traditional press conference on the eve of the take-off, he explained that his ambition was to "make this mission successful and come back with a lot of knowledge". "The dream has become a reality," he added, adding that he would retransmit and share his daily prayers with the Earth.

"A few hours before the flight and I am filled with an indescribable sense of joy and amazement, today I bring my country's dreams and ambitions to a whole new dimension," he posted on Twitter. a few hours before flying off.

A 42-year-old biologist, Jessica Meir also discovers the space, but Oleg Skripotchka has a long experience: this engineer has already participated in two missions on the ISS, the first in October 2010, and spent a total of 331 days in space.

The arrival of the three astronauts will bring to nine the number of occupants of the orbital station, a record since September 2015. Hazza Al Mansouri will stay only eight days on the station: his return is planned on October 3 at the same time as the Russian Alexey Ovchinin and the American Nick Hague, who have been weightless since March.

Selected from 4,022 candidates, Hazza Al Mansouri only learned in September 2018 that he would be part of the adventure. If he has to carry out some scientific experiments, he also takes with him thirty seeds from a typical Emirati tree that will be planted across the country upon his return.

It was also the last takeoff of a Soyuz-FG rocket, a model whose first flight dates back to 2001. From April 2020, date of the next launch to the ISS, Soyuz 2.1a rockets will be used to send men into space.

Finally, it was the last takeoff from the launch pad "Gagarin", the one from which the first manned space flight in 1961 took place with Yuri Gagarin on board.

After much hesitation, the Russian authorities have decided not to develop this launching pad for the new Soyuz rockets, which will fly away from another shot of Baikonur.

The International Space Station is a rare example of cooperation between Russia and the United States in a context of unprecedented tensions since the Cold War. Sixteen countries are participating in the ISS, which has cost a total of $ 100 billion, mostly paid for by the United States and Russia.

photo-TBM / apo / pg

© 2019 AFP