
In a first, the UAE leader has named its first female astronaut for a space programme.
Noura al-Matroushi has been named as the first-ever female astronaut of the country, who has been selected out of 4,000 other applicants in the UAE.
The announcement was made by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, through a Twitter post.
"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,"he tweeted.
Noura al-Matroushi will be accompanied by Mohammed al-Mulla. Both of the chosen astronauts will undergo training at NASA’sJohnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
Born in 1993,Noura al-Matroushi holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the United Arab Emirates Universityand worked asan engineer at the Abu Dhabi-based National Petroleum Construction Co., according to a promotional video posted.
She has also headed several committees and has an excellent record of volunteer work, along with other achievements such as Mathematics Olympiad and more.