Nora al-Matrooshi-First Arab woman to train as an astronaut

A 27-year-old mechanical engineering and United Arab Emirate national Nora al-Matrooshi is the first Arab woman to train as an astronaut. She will join NASA’s 2021 Astronaut Candidate Class in the United States.

• Noura Al-Matrooshi is one of two new astronauts in the UAE’s Mohammed Bin Rashid (MBR) Space Centre astronaut program. The team also include Hazza al-Mansouri who became the first Emirati in space in 2019 when he flew to the International Space Station.

• Nora al-Matrooshi was born in 1993 and holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the United Arab Emirates University,

• In February 2021 a UAE probe “Hope” reached the orbit of the planet Mars, the Arab world’s first interplanetary expedition.

We announce the first Arab female astronaut, among two new astronauts, selected from over 4,000 candidates to be trained with NASA for future space exploration missions. Congratulations Noura Al Matrooshi and Mohammed Al Mulla. pic.twitter.com/bfyquyzqAJ

— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) April 10, 2021