UAE to send first Arab astronaut for 180-day long mission to ISS
- 29 Apr 2022
Gulf Today, Staff Reporter
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, announced that the UAE would send first Arab astronaut for 180-day long mission to International Space Station (ISS).
Sheikh Mohammed said on Twitter, “A new station for the space sector in the UAE with the signing of a new agreement to send the first Arab astronaut for a 180-day long mission to the International Space Station…
“The UAE will be the 11th country in history to send a long-term mission to space… We are proud of the UAE youth…”
UAE astronauts Mohammad Al Mulla and Nora Al Matrooshi, the second batch of the UAE Astronaut Programme, were recently part of a flight simulation training on the T-6 aircraft as part of the NASA Astronaut Candidate Class.
Nora became the first Arab female astronaut after joining the UAE Astronaut Programme, and is currently preparing for upcoming missions at the NASA Astronaut Candidate Class.
Nora has been named to Gulf Business' list of the 100 Most Powerful Arabs 2022.
Mohammad Al Mulla is training along the NASA Astronaut Group 23 of astronauts to the function of international mission specialist.
He is a pilot and leads the Training Department at the Air Wing Center at Dubai Police.
Al Mansouri said, “The agreement with Axiom Space and the partnership with NASA reflect the country’s vision, which considers space exploration as an opportunity to enhance global cooperation and partnership between countries and entities, to achieve unified goals that achieve a sustainable future for humanity, and exceptional scientific discoveries.”
Al Mansouri said on Twitter, “The mission highlights that the manned and unmanned space exploration programs are progressing in parallel in the UAE, as it comes after the country’s success in unmanned missions in the orbits of Mars and Earth, and in parallel with the preparation for a mission on the moon.”