Professors say first female Arab astronaut ‘always stood out’

University professors who taught Nora Al Matrooshi said they were overjoyed after learning their former star student had become the Arab world’s first female astronaut.

Ms Al Matrooshi, 27, has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from UAE University in Al Ain.

She completed her higher education five years ago and was working for a petroleum construction company, before Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai recruited her as an astronaut, along with Mohammed Al Mulla, a pilot at Dubai Police.

One of Ms Al Matrooshi’s university professors told The National that “she was always a star”.

“Nora always stood out,” said Dr Emad Elnajjar, associate professor of mechanical engineering and the aerospace minor co-ordinator at the university.

Dr Elnajjar, who has been with the university for 14 years, taught Ms Al Matrooshi in the introduction to aerospace and heat transfer classes.

He said she was a bright student who was always enthusiastic about university projects.

Ms Al Matrooshi received an A grade in both courses.

“She was part of the aerospace club at the university and she was so passionate about it,” said Dr Elnajjar.

“I’m extremely happy for her. It’s always great to see our students doing well after they complete their studies. Now we can say one of our alumni is an astronaut and that’s really incredible.”

Dr Khalifa Harib, who has been teaching at the university for 20 years, was the senior project adviser to Ms Al Matrooshi.

He said that Ms Al Matrooshi and her classmates received an A on their senior project.

“I’m very happy about her success,” he said.

“She is very intelligent and has great things coming her way. We are all very proud of her.”

More than 550 people have gone to space, but only 65 of them were women.

Ms Al Matrooshi’s addition to the country’s astronaut corps boosts the efforts being made by space agencies to ensure gender equality in the sector.

The field has been dominated by men since the early days of space exploration in the 1960s.

It is also a significant move by the UAE to recruit an Arab woman, because it paves the way for other Arab countries that are now either reviving their space programmes or establishing new ones.

UAE University is among the higher education institutes in the country that are placing a greater focus on space studies.

A large new satellite testing and integration centre opened on campus to allow students to develop satellites.

The first pan-Arab space organisation was founded in the UAE in 2019 and its inaugural project, a satellite called 813, is being built at the centre by students from across the Mena region.

The university was also one of the first in the country to introduce a master’s programme in space science.