By Naadiya Adams

The first ever Arab woman astronaut has been selected to take part in the United Arab Emirates space programme.

Announced this weekend, Nora Al Matrooshi joins fellow selectee and Mohammed Al Mulla to become the second batch of astronauts from the UAE, they will form part of a four member team who will receive training with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The two new astronauts join astronauts Hazzaa AlMansoori and Sultan AlNeyadi under the UAE Astronaut Programme.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said: “Today we announce two new Emirati astronauts, among them the first female Arab astronaut – Nora AlMatrooshi and Mohammed Al Mulla. They were selected from more than 4,000 applicants and their training will soon begin for international space flights. We congratulate the country on them. We congratulate them and count on them to raise the name of the UAE ever higher in space.”

With the support of our wise leadership, Emirati youth continue to make great strides and push their ambition to new limits. Today, 2 new Emirati astronauts joined the UAE Astronaut Programme.Our young talents continue to set a model example to the world with their determination. pic.twitter.com/gcCUA3Nea1

— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) April 10, 2021

Only 65 women have been to space in the history of space exploration and Al Matrooshi, having outperformed 4305 other candidates through medical tests, intelligence, personality and technical ability according to the Emirati news agency, WAM, becomes the 66^th.

She has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the UAE University and is an engineer at the National Petroleum Construction Company.

Al Matrooshi’s achievement is a giant leap for women and also a milestone for the UAE. Women’s rights in the UAE has been under scrutiny for years with activists jailed over it and the Arab nation having received much criticism for the lack of rights for women. In 2018, women were given the right to drive for the first time after years of lobbying. In March last year a new law against domestic violence gave women the right to get a restraining order which shows the extent to which women have been marginalised.

Serving the strategy of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) its based on achieving the vision of the UAE leadership to make it one of the leading nations in the field through the National Space Programme.

The four astronauts will train in manned spaceflight and space research to carry out low-orbit missions at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

The future missions for Emirati astronauts is set to provide the global community with new scientific knowledge, and propel the space industry in the Arab world.