| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Hazzaa Ali Abdan Khalfan Al Mansoori |
| Other Name(s) | • Hazzaa AlMansoori • Hazzaa Al Mansoori • Hazzaa Ali Abdan Khalfan AlMansoori |
| Profession | • Astronaut • Fighter Pilot |
| Known For | Being the first person from the UAE in space |
| Physical Stats | |
| Height (approx.) | 5'9" (175 cm) |
| Eye Colour | Dark Brown |
| Hair Colour | Dark Brown |
| Military Career | |
| Service/Branch | UAE Armed Forces |
| Rank | Major |
| Astronaut Career | |
| Affiliated Space Agency | UAE Space Agency |
| Affiliated Space Centre | Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) |
| Service Years | 2018 - Present |
| Mission with Designation | Zayed Ambition 1 as the flight engineer 2 (25 September 2019 - 3 October 2019) |
| Awards, Honours | • Commemorative stamps issued by Emirates Post (September 2019)![]() • Honorary Doctorate from the Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi (6 October 2019) • Distinguished Public Service Medal from NASA (13 December 2019) ![]() • Commemorative silver coin issued by UAE Central Bank (2 February 2020) ![]() • First Class Space Medal by the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (2 December 2024) ![]() |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 13 December 1983 (Tuesday) |
| Age (as of 2024) | 41 Years |
| Birthplace | Al Wathba, United Arab Emirates |
| Zodiac sign | Sagittarius |
| Nationality | Emirati |
| School | Al Siddique High School, Liwa |
| College/University | Khalifa bin Zayed Air College, UAE (2004) |
| Educational Qualification | A degree in aviation |
| Religion | Islam |
| Food Habit | Non-vegetarian |
| Hobbies | Reading |
| Social Media | • Instagram |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Marriage Date | July 2007 |
| Family | |
| Children | Son(s)- 3 • Ali • Abdullah • Mansour Daughter- 1 • Mariam |
| Parents | ![]() |
| Siblings | Sister- Shamsi Al Mansouri![]() |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Hazza Al Mansouri
- He was interested in astronomy since his childhood and would often spend his time stargazing at the Liwa desert in Abu Dhabi.
- After graduating, he joined the armed forces and became a fighter pilot.
- He trained in Arizona, USA, as a Functional Check Flight (FCF) pilot for the F-16B60 aircraft for three years before completing his training in the UAE. After four years of his return, he became the youngest military pilot on the F-16 from the UAE.
- He has also served as an instructor pilot, a demo pilot, a SOLO demonstration pilot, and a functional check flight pilot in the UAE’s F-16B60 Air Force Fleet.
- He participated as a member of the flight contingent at the Dubai Air Show to celebrate the UAE National Day on 2 December 2017. He also participated in the air show celebrating the 50th anniversary of the UAE Air Force in 2018.
- In September 2018, he became the first astronaut, along with Sultan Al Neyadi, to be selected from the first batch of the UAE Astronaut Programme, launched by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) out of 4,022 candidates who participated in the program.
- For his first space mission, he began his training on 3 September 2018 at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Moscow, as part of an agreement between the Russian space agency, Roscosmos and MBRSC.
- He learned Russian for better communication at the Centre.
- He also received training in Houston, Texas, and Cologne, Germany, as part of partnership agreements with major space agencies, including NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), ESA (European Space Agency), and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency).
- As part of his training, he underwent more than 90 courses, with the total number of training hours exceeding 1,400 hours. His training included wearing a spacesuit weighing up to 10 kgs within 25 to 30 seconds in a zero-gravity environment.
- He was trained to perform daily tasks such as preparing food, using the camera to document events, taking pictures of the Earth, and communicating with the ground stations.
- His training also included training on scientific mission, training on all sections and units of the International Space Station (ISS), emergency fire drills, dealing with low pressure and ammonia leak inside the station and survival training in case of emergency landing.
- On 25 September 2019, he travelled to the ISS on Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft for the UAE’s first scientific mission, ‘Zayed Ambition 1,’ and helped the UAE to become the first country in the Arab region and the 19th worldwide to travel to ISS.
- During the mission, he filmed the first-ever tour of ISS in Arabic. He also wore an Emirati kandura during his mission.
- He carried 10 kg of cargo that included the UAE’s flag and logos, Al Ghaf tree seeds, Emirati food, and a 1976 photograph of a meeting between the UAE Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed and the Apollo astronauts.
- He also carried a copy of the book, ‘My Story: 50 Memories from 50 Years of Service’ by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and MBRSC’s book, ‘The Race to Space: The Story Behind the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, the Home of the UAE National Space Programme.’
- He conducted 31 experiments during the mission, out of which 16 were in collaboration with international space agencies, including Roscosmos, NASA, ESA, and JAXA, and 15 with the schools of the UAE as part of MBRSC’s Science in Space initiative.
- During his mission, he studied the perception of time, fluid dynamics, and seed growth in a microgravity environment.
- On 3 October 2019, he landed in Kazakhstan on Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft.
- After his return, research was conducted, which was the first of its kind in the Arab region, to study the impact of microgravity on the body by comparing the reaction of his vital indicators at ISS and Earth, before and after the trip.
- During an interview, he described how day-to-day tasks such as tying shoe laces become difficult in space and said,
It was really difficult because you have to stabilise yourself. I tried to hold the handles on the space station, but any force you apply to yourself felt like it was pushing you. Eventually, one of the Russians on board said I should tie my shoelaces as I float and it’ll be easier.”
- In 2020, as part of NASA’s Reimbursable Space Act Agreement with MBRSC, he received training in multiple areas of operations on the ISS systems including including their major systems, robotics, spacewalking, and leadership training at the Johnson Space Center, Houston.
- During the second UAE mission to ISS on 2 March 2023, termed as ‘Zayed Ambition 2,’ he served as the increment lead in the mission and guided the astronauts through various aspects of the mission from Earth.
- He serves as the Astronauts Office Manager at MBRSC.






















