Emirati Astronaut Says He Is Not Required To Fast for Ramadan in Space

An Emirati astronaut poised to be the first Arab astronaut to spend six months in space on the International Space Station told reporters that he is not required to fast for Ramadan during the mission. Sultan Al-Neyadi, 41, will blast off for the ISS on February 26 as a member of the SpaceX Dragon Crew-6, along with NASA’s Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg and Russia’s Andrey Fedyaev. The holy Muslim month of Ramadan, when Muslims usually fast from sunrise to sunset, will begin on or around March 22. Neyadi says that his case falls under the exception granted to a traveler; in addition, he said, “anything that can jeopardize the mission, or maybe put the crew members in a risk, we’re actually allowed to eat sufficient food.” Neyadi will be the second Emirati astronaut to travel in space. In September 2019, Hazzaa Al-Mansoori spent eight days on the ISS. Neyadi, a computer science professional and a father of five, has been training in Houston for the past three years. He said the hardest part of the mission will be staying away from family for too long. He will be busy, however. Neyadi has been assigned about 20 experiments from universities across the UAE and also will perform outreach activities, including video and voice calls with pupils in the UAE.