The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) announced today that astronaut Mohammad AlMulla has successfully completed the European Space Agency’s (ESA) CAVES training program in Italy. The two-week course took place in the Molise and Campania regions, involving an international group of astronauts from ESA, NASA, and JAXA.
CAVES - short for Cooperative Adventure for Valuing and Exercising human behaviour and performance Skills - is designed to simulate space mission conditions by placing participants in an underground environment. The program emphasizes teamwork, technical skills, and psychological resilience in a setting that mimics spaceflight challenges, including isolation, confined quarters, and limited resources.
During the training, AlMulla and his colleagues engaged in technical instruction, outdoor exercises, and a multi-day subterranean expedition where they lived and worked without external contact. The curriculum focused on exploration techniques, mapping, scientific research, communication, leadership, stress management, and decision-making.
Completion of the CAVES program provides AlMulla with critical experience applicable to future space missions and strengthens international cooperation in human spaceflight efforts.
Photo credits: Government of Dubai Media Office
Oksana Bozhko is a Contributor to Dubai Voice.
Oksana Bozhko
