Final 39 in race to become first Emirati in space

race to join the UAE’s first astronaut training programme has come down to 39 men and women.

With more than 4,000 Emiratis originally applying, a shortlist of 95 has been cut by more than half after a series of physical and psychological tests at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre.

Four of those candidates will form the UAE’s first astronaut corps and travel into space.

The training is part of preparations to send an Emirati astronaut to the International Space Station in a deal signed with the Russian space programme. The current round of tests included activities to measure intelligence, aptitude, neurocognitive ability, personality and working memory, according to the space centre.

It was followed by face-to-face interviews in which the candidates were assessed on their mental and physical strengths to see how they would cope with the testing conditions in space.

Yousuf Al Shaibani, Director General of the space centre, said: “We are proud of all the Emirati talents who registered for this ambitious programme, and we are happy with their persistence to reach the highest levels.”

There will be more interviews ending with the final selection and involving the space centre and experts from other international space agencies.

The first UAE astronaut will lift off next April, as part of the agreement reached with Roscosmos, the Russian Space Agency.

As part of the crew on a Soyuz spaceship, they will spend 10 days conducting scientific research on the ISS before returning to Earth.