The United Arab Emirates named its first female astronaut in its space programme on Saturday.
Noura Al-Matrooshi is one of two new astronauts in the UAE’s Mohammed Bin Rashid (MBR) Space Centre astronaut program, UAE vice president and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced on Twitter.
#WATCH | United Arab Emirates Names 1st Arab Female Astronaut.
Mechanical Engineering Graduate #NoraAlMatrooshi Was Picked From More Than 4,000 Candidates To Be Part Of The UAE’s Ambitious Space Program.
Video Credits – (@HHShkMohd/ Twitter)#UAE pic.twitter.com/lkhq7hquXG
— NewsMobile (@NewsMobileIndia) April 12, 2021
She was chosen with Mohammed Al-Mulla, two of over 4,000 candidates who applied to the program, Sheikh Mohammed, the ruler of Dubai, said. The two will undergo training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
The astronaut was born in 1993 and holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the United Arab Emirates University, the MBR Space Centre said in a video. She is an engineer at the National Petroleum Construction Company.
Here is a glimpse into the educational and career journey of Nora AlMatrooshi who recently joined the second batch of the UAE Astronaut Programme.#UAEAstronautProgramme@TheUAETRA pic.twitter.com/JQOlw8opOO
— MBR Space Centre (@MBRSpaceCentre) April 11, 2021