Nora Al Matrooshi, who has dreamed of going to the moon since childhood, took a step toward realizing her dream this week, becoming the first Arab woman to receive the professional astronaut badge from the U.S. space agency NASA, after undergoing an intensive two-year training.
Born in 1993 in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, Al Matrooshi recounts that her passion began when one of her teachers conducted a simulation of a trip to the moon in her classroom. The students first entered what resembled a large tent set up in the classroom to serve as a spacecraft. Upon exiting, everything was covered with gray sheets, and the lights were turned off.
The thirty-something young woman told AFP, "That day had a profound effect on me and was etched in my mind," adding, "I remember being astonished, and I said to myself that I want to experience that for real, and I want to go to the surface of the moon. From that moment, everything began."
Other Arab women have previously participated in space missions. In 2023, Saudi scientist Rayyan Barnaoui traveled to the International Space Station for several days as part of a special mission. In 2022, Egyptian Sara Sabry took part in a mission for the private company Blue Origin, which allowed her to experience weightlessness for a few minutes.
However, Nora Al Matrooshi, along with her Emirati colleague Mohammed Al Mulla, participated in an intensive training program for two years alongside ten other Americans, thanks to cooperation between NASA and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre. This week, they all officially became astronauts at a graduation ceremony held by NASA in Houston, Texas.
