Since she was a little girl, Nora Al Matrooshi has been fascinated by space. Al Matrooshi’s passion for venturing into space sparked at a very young age during an elementary school activity that transformed her surroundings into the infinite cosmos. This pivotal moment set her on a path toward the stars, inspiring her to pursue a career in astronautics.
But Al Matrooshi’s ambition to explore space is more than her passion—it is an homage to her family’s legacy. Coming from a family of seafarers on her mother’s side, Al Matrooshi draws a poetic connection between exploring oceans and venturing into space. For her, being an astronaut is akin to being a “star sailor.”
Today, Al Matrooshi wears the crown of the first Arab woman to graduate from NASA. But it did not come without struggle. Al Matrooshi faced setbacks on her path to space. Initially rejected from the Nation’s Space Program in 2018, she persisted and secured her spot on her second attempt in 2021. Since January 2022, Al Matrooshi has undergone rigorous training alongside Emirati colleague Mohammed Al Mulla at NASA’s Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas. After two years of intensive training, which included simulated spacewalks, Al Matrooshi has triumphantly completed NASA’s astronaut program. Now, the Emirati astronaut is, quite literally, shooting for the moon as she aspires to embark on a lunar mission.
Last year, following a successful space mission by Sultan Al Neyadi, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced another mission to space in 2024, marking a monumental milestone for the UAE. Al Matrooshi, along with Mohammed Al Mulla, are to take part in the mission, signifying the nation’s unwavering commitment to space exploration and innovation.
Al Matrooshi’s ascent to the stars is far beyond a personal triumph–it is an inspirational move for Arab girls and a win for womanhood the world over.
ALSO READ: THE BEAUTY VAULT: THE BEST BEAUTY LAUNCHES OF MARCH 2024.
