“We are pleased to announce that we have signed an agreement with NASA to prepare UAE astronauts for potential missions to the International Space Station, including space walks and long-distance missions to the station,” the Dubai ruler wrote on Twitter.
In October 2019, the head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, announced that Russia and the UAE had begun negotiations on the flight of the second Emirati cosmonaut.
In December 2019, Mohammed bin Rashid announced the start of the selection of another astronaut for the UAE's new space mission.