The sky is most certainly not the limit when it comes to the UAE.
Following Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi’s safe return to earth last month, the UAE is already planning its next mission to space and it’s set to be a groundbreaking one – the emirates’ first female astronaut will embark on a mission to space.
The exciting news that Nora Al Matrooshi will be heading to space in 2024 was announced by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai, describing it as a “significant milestone that awaits us”, alongside Mohammed Al Mulla’s mission to space, also to take place next year.
“The next phase of our journey will see groundbreaking Emirati space ventures,” Sheikh Hamdan said, chairing a board meeting at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre. “We aim to be a major player in shaping the future of space exploration.
I chaired a board meeting of the @MBRSpaceCentre and laid out the blueprint for new ambitious initiatives.
The next phase of our journey will see groundbreaking Emirati space ventures.
We aim to be a major player in shaping the future of space exploration.
We seek to raise the… pic.twitter.com/BcZGofmOMS
— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) October 2, 2023
“We seek to raise the UAE’s stature in the global space industry with exceptional projects that will bring enduring benefits to humanity.”
A rigorous training programme
Nora Al Matrooshi, who hails from the emirate of Sharjah, was announced as the UAE’s first female astronaut in April 2021, being selected to train with the NASA Astronaut Group 23.
Since January 2022, Al Matrooshi has been training alongside her colleague Mohammed Al Mulla at the Nasa Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas. The pair are set to graduate next year, it was confirmed by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre earlier this year.
“As part of Nasa’s 2021 astronaut candidate class training programme, Emirati astronauts Nora Al Mastrooshi and Mohammed Al Mulla recently completed a series of rigorous training exercises in the USA,” the centre stated. “They are set to graduate in early 2024 as flight-eligible astronauts.”
The pair will follow Hazza Al Mansouri who became the first Emirati in space in 2019, and Sultan Al Neyadi who just returned from a mission to the International Space Station.
Strides in Space for Women
The announcement of Al Matrooshi’s mission to space marks a huge stride for women in the Arab world and comes after Rayyanah Barnawi became the first Saudi and Arab woman to venture into space earlier this year.
Accompanied by her colleague, Ali Al Qarni, as well as Americans Peggy Whitson and John Shoffner, Barnawi embarked on an awe-inspiring eight-day trip as part of the privately led Axiom 2 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in May.
“I never thought that I would ever be going to space, but at the same time, it feels like a dream come true. It’s an overwhelming feeling,” she said of her mission at the time. “It honestly feels like I am representing all Saudis’ ambitions, all females, and all researchers as well. It’s a big honor to be able to go to space and at the same time do the things that you love the most.”
