ABU DHABI - The International Space Station, ISS, celebrated the arrival of Hazza Al Mansoori, the first Emirati and Arab astronaut to travel to the station, as part of a scientific team that includes Russian astronaut Oleg Scribushka and American astronaut Jessica Mir.

A recent press report issued by the ISS stated that 239 astronauts from 19 countries have travelled to the station, and the UAE is the first Arab country to send an astronaut, while the US has sent the largest number of astronauts, with 151, followed by Russia with 47, Japan with nine, Canada with eight, Italy with five, France with four, and Germany with three, while Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Brazil, Denmark, Kazakhstan, Spain, the UK, Malaysia, South Africa and South Korea have each sent one astronaut.

The ISS, which was built in 1998 as part of an international cooperation agreement led by the US and Russia, with funding from Canada, Japan and ten European countries, is a space research laboratory that seeks to improve the quality of life on Earth.

© Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2019.