Obverse. Photo © Central Bank of the UAE
  • 50 Dirhams 2019, KM# 124, United Arab Emirates, Khalifa, First Emirati Astronaut
  • 50 Dirhams 2019, KM# 124, United Arab Emirates, Khalifa, First Emirati Astronaut
Description

Hazzaa AlMansoori (full name Hazzaa Ali Abdan Khalfan Al Mansoori, born in 1983) is an Emirati astronaut and the first person from the United Arab Emirates in space. In 2019, he embarked on the UAE's first mission to the International Space Station (ISS), under the slogan 'Zayed's Ambition.' This made the UAE the 19th country and the first Arab nation to reach the ISS. He launched aboard Soyuz MS-15 on September 25, 2019, and spent eight days on the ISS, returning safely to Kazakhstan on October 3, 2019, aboard Soyuz MS-12. AlMansoori was also the back-up astronaut for Sultan Al Neyadi for the UAE's second and longest Arab space mission. Previously, he was the UAE's youngest F-16 fighter pilot.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan (1948–2022), the UAE's second president and ruler of Abu Dhabi from November 2004 to May 2022, was the eldest son of the UAE's first president, Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. He took on a significant role in the late 1990s due to his father's health issues and officially became Abu Dhabi's leader in 2004. His tenure saw cultural and academic growth, including the Louvre Abu Dhabi and Etihad Airways. Under his leadership, the UAE became a major economic power. Known for his pro-Western stance, he strengthened ties with the US and Israel.

Obverse

Depicts the colored emblem of UAE (2008 - up to date) with Arabic inscriptions anniversary above and "Commemorative Coin" below within a circle, dates on both sides enclosed by inscriptions of the legend of the bank in Arabic above and anniversary in English below.

The emblem of the United Arab Emirates was officially adopted on December 9, 1973, and modified in 2008. It features a golden falcon (Hawk of Quraish) with a central disk displaying the UAE flag and seven stars, representing the federation's seven emirates. The falcon's seven tail feathers also symbolize the emirates. The falcon grasps a red parchment with the federation's name in Kufic script and a flag of UAE on its chest.

The flag of the United Arab Emirates contains the Pan-Arab colors red, green, white, and black. It was designed in 1971 by Abdullah Mohammed Al Maainah, who was 19 years old at that time, and was adopted on 2 December 1971 after winning a nationwide flag design contest. The main theme of the flag's four colors is the sovereignty and unity of the Arab states.

مصرف الإمارات العربية المتحدة المركزي
الإمارات العربية المتحدة
50 درهماً
CENTRAL BANK OF THE U.A.E

Reverse

Depicts a portrait of the first Emirati astronaut with the date of the mission below the picture, wearing a space helmet facing three-quarters right on the right of the inscription "Zayed's Ambition" surrounded by the logo of Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center (a blue part of the horizon above the name of the center in Arabic and English) above, his name and mission below.

The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) is a Dubai government organization responsible for the UAE space program, which includes projects like the Emirates Mars Mission, the Emirates Lunar Mission, and the UAE astronaut program. The center promotes space science and research in the region and incorporates the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST).

مركز محمد بن راشد
للفضاء
MOHAMMED BIN RASHID SPACE CENTRE
طموح
زايد
25/09/2019
هزاع المنصوري
UAE Mission 1

Edge

50 Dirhams

First Emirati Astronaut

KM# 124
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Silver
Fineness 0.925
Weight 40 g
Diameter 40 mm
Thickness -
Shape round
Alignment Medal

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