Meet Nora AlMatrooshi, the United Arab Emirates' first female astronaut

In the entire history of space travel, moon landings, and blasting rockets, there have been 565 astronauts launched into space (as of December 2019).

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Of those 565 astronauts, only 65 have been women.

And how many of those women have been of Arab descent?

None. 

Until now.

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So let us introduce you to Nora AlMatrooshi, who on the 10th of April 2021, has been announced as the first-ever female United Arab Emirates astronaut. 

The Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, was very pleased to announce that Nora would be joining Mohammed Al Mulla as they train at NASA's Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas.

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AlMootroshi is 27-years-old and says that her passion for space started at a very young age, and she would frequent stargazing events. She completed her Bachelor's Degree in mechanical engineering from UAE University and is a member of the American Society for Mechanical Engineers, and she took first place in the 2011 International Mathematical Olympiad.

But her credentials do not stop there. She has worked as an engineer at the National Petroleum Construction Co. and while there she held the position of vice president of the Youth Council for three consecutive years.

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Nora was one of 4,000 candidates but beat them all out and was chosen to join the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC).

The UAE is hoping to become one of the leading space-exploring nations and has focused a lot of its energy, time, and money on developing its National Space Programme.

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The two new astronauts will be undergoing training in the UAE, after which they will be moving on to a 30-month course at the NASA Centre, and, finally, they will be joining the 2021 NASA Astronaut Candidate Class' where they will be put up for future mission selection.

The UAE's next big space plan involves sending an unnamed spacecraft to the moon by 2024 and with even bigger plans for 2117 by setting up a human colony on Mars.

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We are super excited to hear of more women making their way into the realms of outer space, so a massive congratulations to Nora!

Hopefully, even more girls and women will be inspired by her journey, and choose to follow in her space boot footsteps.

For more of the best Darren, Keri, and Sky moments, listen here:

Main image courtesy of @espacionoticias/Twitter