Noura
al-Matroushi, the UAE's first female astronaut, and her counterpart Mohammed
al-Mulla were identified by the ruler of Dubai, also the prime minister and
vice president, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
In a
Twitter promotional video, Al Maktoum recognized al-Matroushi who was born in
1993, as an engineer at the Abu Dhabi-based National Petroleum Construction Co.
Meanwhile, Al-Mulla, born in 1988, is a pilot with Dubai police and heads the
training program.
The two astronauts, selected from among 4000 applicants
across seven sheikhdoms, will commence training at NASA's Johnson Space Center
in Houston, Texas, US.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) had released a
list of 14 shortlisted candidates for the final phase of the second batch of
the UAE Astronaut Programme, which was qualified by both al-Matroushi and
Al-Mulla, the Dubai Media office said in a statement.
The final selection interviews were conducted by a committee
consisting of specialists from MBRSC, including Emirati astronauts Hazzaa
AlMansoori and Sultan AlNeyadi along with NASA astronauts Anne McClain and
Jessica Meir. The team at MBRSC then conducted preliminary and advanced medical
examinations on the shortlisted final 61 candidates, shrinking the number to
30.
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
"We have reached an important stage in Space programme
to select Emirati astronauts. They will participate in scientific space
exploration missions in partnership with international astronauts, which serves
the aspirations of the country to participate in global space missions,' HE
Yousuf Hamad AlShaibani, Director General, MBRSC told Dubai Media office.
'We are constantly strengthening strategic partnerships with
global partners as they bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to Emirati
astronauts. At the same time, it also highlights the Centre's role in
strengthening its links with specialized international entities such as NASA
and building bridges of cooperation between leading global space organizations
and agencies,' he added.
Space was her passion since childhood... Nora AlMatrooshi, the new member of the UAE Astronaut Programme.#UAEAstronauts #UAEAstronautProgramme@Astronaut_Nora @TheUAETRA pic.twitter.com/TEW5uip0EK
— MBR Space Centre (@MBRSpaceCentre) April 10, 2021
Joint strategic agreement between UAE, US
UAE's Assistant Director-General for Scientific and
Technical Affairs and Head of the UAE Astronaut Programme, MBRSC, Salem
AlMarri, told the state's media office that the goal of the UAE Astronaut
Programme is to establish a sustainable program for the coming years.
He said that the MBRSC will prepare candidates who will
contribute to the knowledge sharing in the space sector. UAE's trained and
expert personnel will enable the kingdom to participate in future space
exploration missions.
The selected astronauts will now be trained under the '2021
NASA Astronaut Candidate Class', which is a joint strategic agreement between
the UAE and the United States to train the UAE astronauts at NASA's Johnson
Space Center.
The project is managed by UAE's National Space Programme and funded by the ICT Fund of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA).
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