The character arc of Sultan Al Neyadi
A life drawn by Character Arc from the public record
Born 25 May 1981 in Umm Ghafa, thirty kilometres from Al Ain. Between then and now sit local schools, an engineering degree in Brighton, a master's in 2008 and a doctorate in 2012 in Australia, the armed forces, selection in 2018 from more than four thousand applicants, a backup seat in 2019, a launch on 2 March 2023, 185 days in orbit, the first Arab spacewalk, and a ministry in January 2024. The line below draws the story so far, in order.
Tap the line to pluck it. Hover or tap any mark for its card. Drawn from the public record of his life; the sources are at the foot of the page.
Who is Sultan Al Neyadi?
One of two, from four thousand people.
He grew up in Umm Ghafa, a village about thirty kilometres from Al Ain, and went to school there. He took a bachelor of science in electronics and communications engineering at the University of Brighton, then a master's in 2008 and a doctorate in 2012 in information technology at Griffith University in Australia, publishing six peer reviewed papers along the way. He joined the UAE Armed Forces as a network security engineer, work that took him to more than twenty countries.
In 2018 the UAE Astronaut Programme chose two people out of more than four thousand applicants, and he was one of them. He was not the one who flew first. He was the backup for Hazzaa Al Mansoori's mission in 2019, which means years of training for a seat somebody else sat in. Then about fourteen hundred hours of training across facilities in several countries.
He launched on SpaceX Crew-6 on 2 March 2023 and spent 185 days, 22 hours and 43 minutes aboard the International Space Station, which was by a long way the longest Arab spaceflight. On 28 April 2023 he went outside with the NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen for seven hours and one minute, and became the first Arab to perform a spacewalk. On 11 January 2024 he was sworn in as the UAE's Minister of State for Youth Affairs. His line is worth reading for the backup seat: the years he trained for a flight that was not his.
The moments
Sultan Al Neyadi's timeline.
The 2000s
Engineering in Brighton
Milestone, and it changed his direction. Out of a village near Al Ain, to an English university.
The 2010s
A doctorate in Australia
Milestone, and it changed everything. A third country, a doctorate, and six papers. None of it about spaceflight.
Network security engineer
Milestone. A serious technical career, which is what he would have had if the programme had never opened.
Keep the career, or apply
Crossroads, decided.
The paths laid out: apply to the programme, taken, or stay an engineer. He was chosen, spent 2019 as somebody else's backup, and flew in March 2023 for 185 days.
One of two, from four thousand
Milestone, and it changed everything. Four thousand people applied. Two were chosen.
He was the backup
Setback, and it changed everything. Trained for the flight, ready for the flight, and watched somebody else take it.
The 2020s
Fourteen hundred hours
Everyday. The unglamorous part, measured in hours, in several countries.
Crew-6 launched
Milestone, and it changed everything. Four and a half years after being chosen, his own seat.
The first Arab spacewalk
Milestone, and it changed everything. Seven hours and one minute outside, and the first of his part of the world to do it.
185 days in orbit
Milestone, and it changed his direction. Half a year off the planet, and then back to a normal gravity.
Sworn in as minister
Milestone, and it changed everything. Four months after landing, a government office, for the young people watching.
He is a minister now, and the rooms he visits are full of people who watched. What it has set moving is a first with a date on it, 28 April 2023, and a country where a village school is no longer an argument against going to space.
Your turn
Every line draws a unique story.
His spent years training as the reserve before it was ever his turn. Yours is already further along than you think, and drawing it takes about five minutes.
Sultan Al Neyadi: frequently asked questions
What people ask about his line.
What is Sultan Al Neyadi's character arc?
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Was Sultan Al Neyadi the first Arab to do a spacewalk?
How long did Sultan Al Neyadi spend in space?
What did Sultan Al Neyadi study?
What did Sultan Al Neyadi do before becoming an astronaut?
Is Sultan Al Neyadi a government minister?
Where does this timeline of Sultan Al Neyadi's life come from?
More character arcs
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Sources
- Sultan Al Neyadi, English Wikipedia biography, filed under living people.
- NASA mission record, SpaceX Crew-6, March to September 2023.
- Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, UAE Astronaut Programme selection, 2018.