UAE reveals plan to send first female Arab astronaut into space

UAE reveals plan to send first female Arab astronaut into space

The UAE on Saturday revealed plans to send the first female Arab astronaut into space as the second batch of the country's Astronaut Programme was announced.

In a new step that translates to the UAE's relentless pursuit towards global leadership in the field of space exploration, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announced the names of the two new Emirati astronauts.

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Nora AlMatrooshi and Mohammed AMulla were selected from more than 4,000 applicants and their training will soon begin for international space flights, he said in comments published by state news agency WAM.

"We congratulate them and count on them to raise the name of the UAE ever higher in space," he added.

The two new astronauts join astronauts Hazzaa AlMansoori and Sultan AlNeyadi to form a team of four under the UAE Astronaut Programme, serving the strategy of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) base.

AlMatrooshi obtained a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the UAE University in 2015 and has years of experience in the field of engineering.

AlMulla at the age of 19