UAE Selects First Arab Woman For Space Programme

Emirati national Nora al-Matrooshi, a 27-year-old mechanical engineering graduate currently working at Abu Dhabi's National Petroleum Construction Company, will join NASA's 2021 Astronaut Candidate Class in the United States.

The United Arab Emirates has selected the first Arab woman to train as an astronaut, as the Gulf country rapidly expands into the space sector to diversify its economy. Space was her passion since childhood... Nora AlMatrooshi, the new member of the UAE Astronaut Programme.#UAEAstronauts#UAEAstronautProgramme@Astronaut_Nora@TheUAETRApic.twitter.com/TEW5uip0EK Emirati national Nora al-Matrooshi, a 27-year-old mechanical engineering graduate currently working at Abu Dhabi's National Petroleum Construction Company, will join NASA's 2021 Astronaut Candidate Class in the United States. The UAE is using its space programme to develop its scientific and technological capabilities and reduce its reliance on oil.