UAE astronauts train for lift-off in Houston
Two UAE astronauts will head to Houston for their next stop on a journey to space.
Nora Al Matrooshi and Mohammed Al Mulla will train for two years at the Johnson Space Centre from January.
Mr Al Mulla, a former Dubai Police helicopter pilot, and Ms Al Matrooshi, a mechanical engineer, will train with Nasa’s latest class of astronaut candidates.
They will learn Russian, master spacewalks, undergo leadership training and fly T-38 supersonic jets.
It will prepare them for travel to the International Space Station and future missions to the Moon under the Artemis programme, as they aim to follow in the footsteps of Emirati history-maker Maj Hazza Al Mansouri.
The UAE’s two new astronauts are travelling to Houston, Texas, next week for a two-year training programme.
Mohammed Al Mulla, a former Dubai Police helicopter pilot, and Nora Al Matrooshi, a mechanical engineer, will begin their training at the Johnson Space Centre in January.
They will train alongside Nasa’s latest class of astronaut candidates and will be eligible for space missions once they graduate.
Destinations could include the International Space Station and missions to the Moon – under the Artemis programme.
“They are going to Houston in the first week of December. Nora and Mohammed will join Nasa’s next Ascan [astronaut candidate selection] class,” Salem Al Marri, head of the UAE’s astronaut programme at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, told The National.
At Houston, Ms Al Matrooshi and Mr Al Mulla will learn about the systems of the space station and how to perform spacewalks.
They will also study the Russian language, robotics and leadership training and fly T-38 supersonic jet trainers.
Hazza Al Mansouri and Sultan Al Neyadi, the UAE’s first astronauts, have already completed a year of training and will return to the space centre at the end of December to continue their programme.
“I feel prepared and excited, because I like to think of myself as a very adventurous person,” Ms Al Matrooshi, who was selected to be the first female Arab astronaut, told The National in an earlier interview.
“I love the fact that I’ll be put in situations I’m not used to.
“I’ll be pushed out of my comfort zone. That’s very exciting.”
The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre signed a Reimbursable Space Act Agreement with Nasa in 2020, buying access to Nasa’s facilities and the training programme.
Once the Emirati astronauts graduate, they will become eligible for long-duration space missions to the ISS. The UAE is in discussions with Nasa about involvement in the Artemis programme, which aims to build a sustainable human presence on the Moon.
The UAE is one of 13 countries that has signed the Artemis Accords for responsible and peaceful Moon exploration.
During the International Astronautical Congress held in Dubai last month, Emirati space officials discussed Artemis with Nasa’s deputy administrator Pamela Melroy.
“International co-operation on Artemis is intended not only to bolster our space exploration from a technological standpoint, but also to enhance peaceful relationships between nations,” Ms Melroy said.
In 2018, an agreement between the UAE Space Agency and Nasa was signed to identify areas of interest within human space flight.
A growing number of space agencies are focusing on Moon exploration missions as the ISS reaches the end of its lifespan.
“Exploring the Moon and Mars are things that we’re always looking at and talking about,” Mr Al Marri said.
“So, a natural next progression would be to look at what we can do towards the Moon.”