Two UAE astronauts have joined NASA to train for future space missions.
Astronauts Mohammad Al Mulla and Nora Al Matrooshi will train at the Johnson Space Center to join the next ASCAN class (Astronaut Candidate Selection).
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NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said that NASA is venturing further out into the solar system but “America is not going alone. We are partnering with space agencies from around the world. Today, we are joined by two United Arab Emirates crew members, Nora Al Matrooshi and Mohammad Al Mulla.”
Over the next two years, they will train as part of the Reimbursable Space Act Agreement Nasa signed with the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) last year.
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The UAE has purchased access to NASA’s facility and the training programme.
After the graduation, these astronauts could become eligible for a variety of flight assignments including missions on and around the Moon under Artemis. They will become astronauts of the ‘Artemis Generation’ and the planned lunar Gateway space station. (AW)
