Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, celebrated the UAE's remarkable progress in the global space race on Monday after meeting two of the country's NASA-trained astronauts at Union House in Dubai. During the gathering, he shared his ambitious vision for the UAE's future in space exploration.
UAE Astronauts Complete NASA Training Program
Sheikh Mohammed met with Nora Al Matrooshi and Mohammed Al Mulla, both members of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) team. Earlier in 2024, both astronauts successfully completed NASA's arduous training program at the Johnson Space Center in Houston and are now fully qualified to participate in space flights.
Al Matrooshi holds the distinction of being the first Emirati woman selected as an astronaut, while Al Mulla is a former Dubai Police helicopter pilot. Their two-year training covered spacewalking at the Neutral Buoyancy Lab, International Space Station systems, robotics, T-38 jet piloting, and Russian language lessons.
Sheikh Mohammed Urges Astronauts to Aim High
As Al Matrooshi and Al Mulla prepare for upcoming space missions, Sheikh Mohammed advised them to set their sights high. He pointed to the examples of Hazza Al Mansouri — the UAE's first astronaut to reach space — and Sultan Al Neyadi, who completed a long-duration mission aboard the International Space Station in 2023 and was subsequently appointed as a member of the UAE Cabinet.
The Vice President's message was clear: the foundation has been laid by the UAE's pioneer spacefarers, and the nation's next generation of astronauts should build on that legacy.
Senior Officials Attend Union House Meeting
The meeting at Union House brought together key figures from Dubai's leadership and the UAE's space sector. Attendees included Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed, the Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai; Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline; Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, Chairman of the MBRSC Board; and Amer Elsayegh Elghafri, Assistant Director General of the Aerospace Engineering Sector at MBRSC.
The gathering underscored the UAE government's sustained commitment to its national space program, which has already placed the country among an elite group of nations with active astronaut corps and independent deep-space missions.
