UAE has announced its first Female Astronaut

On Saturday, The United Arab Emirates named the next two astronauts in its space program including the country’s first female astronaut.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai who also serves as the autocratically ruled country’s prime minister and vice president, named the two astronauts on Twitter.

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

The two had been selected among more than 4,000 applicants in the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula that’s also home to Abu Dhabi.

The two will undergo training at Nasa’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

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