Nora Almatrooshi

Nora Almatrooshi is the United Arab Emirates’ first female astronaut and that of the Arab World, too.

Nora, who dreamt of becoming an astronaut as a child, was chosen among the 4,300 Emiratis who responded to the UAE’s call to join its second batch of the UAE Astronaut Program.

She was selected in April 2021 and was told that she will be trained along with the NASA Astronaut Group 23 to become an international mission specialist in preparation for space mission.

Born in the emirate of Sharjah, Nora earned her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering degree from the UAE University in 2015. She also studied at Vaasa University of Applied Sciences in Finland.

The young engineer is a member of The American Society of Mechanical Engineers. She has been working as a piping engineer at the UAE’s National Petroleum Construction Company since 2016.

Excelling in engineering and math, she placed first in the 2011 International Mathematical Olympiad in Amsterdam where she represented the UAE.