UAE names two new astronauts, including woman

The UAE named the next two astronauts in its space program on Saturday, including the country’s first female astronaut. Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum named the two astronauts on Twitter. He identified Noura Al-Matroushi as the UAE’s first female astronaut, with her male counterpart as Mohammed Al-Mulla. A government video described Al-Matroushi, born in 1993, as an engineer at the Abu Dhabi-based National Petroleum Construction Co.

Al-Mulla, born in 1988, serves as a pilot with Dubai police and heads their training division, the government said.

The two had been selected among more than 4,000 applicants in the UAE.

The two will undergo training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. If Al-Matroushi ends up going on a mission, she could become the first Arab woman in space, the UAE government said.

The first Muslim in space was Saudi Prince Sultan bin Salman, who joined the crew of the shuttle Discovery in 1985.