Education
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has chosen the first Arab woman to train as an astronaut.
As the Gulf country increasingly expands into the space sector to diversify its economy, the United Arab Emirates has chosen the first Arab woman to train as an astronaut.
Nora al-Matrooshi, a 27-year-old mechanical engineering graduate working at Abu Dhabi's National Petroleum Construction Company, will join NASA's 2021 Astronaut Candidate Class in the United States, according to Reuters.
The United Arab Emirates is using its space program to improve its science and technical capabilities while also reducing its dependence on oil.
A UAE probe entered Mars' orbit in February, marking the Arab world's first interplanetary mission. By 2024, the UAE hopes to launch a moon rover, and by 2117, it hopes to create a Mars settlement.
Matrooshi will be joined by another Emirati, Mohammed al-Mulla, bringing the total number of UAE Astronaut Program participants to four. They include Hazza al-Mansouri, who traveled to the International Space Station in 2019 and became the first Emirati in space.
Nora was one of 4,300 applicants who were evaluated based on their scientific skills, qualifications, and practical experience, as well as physical, psychological, and medical tests, according to the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) in Dubai.
In 2017, the UAE established a National Space Programme to foster local expertise. Its population of 9.4 million people, the majority of whom are foreign employees, lacks the technological and industrial infrastructure that the major spacefaring nations have.
