History-making Emirati astronauts 'represent UAE and entire Arab world'

Nora Al Matrooshi and Hazza Al Mansouri discuss life as nation's space pioneers

The UAE's first female astronaut, Nora Al Matrooshi, has said she is an ambassador not just for the Emirates but the entire Arab world.

Ms Al Matrooshi was speaking to The National alongside Maj Hazza Al Mansouri, who made history six years ago when he became the first Emirati in space.

In a wide-ranging interview, they discussed how they see the UAE as a major player in the long-term future of the space sector, how opportunities are there for young Emiratis, and the pride the astronauts felt when selected to represent their country in space.

“I am representing not only my family and country but the Arab world,” said Ms Al Matrooshi, who is from Sharjah.

“Every decision and action can inspire others so I strive to hold myself to the highest standards.”

While Ms Al Matrooshi, 32, has yet to fly to space, she has undergone an intensive two-year course of training with Nasa at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas, from which she graduated last year.

Before this, after being selected in 2021 to represent the UAE in space, her training began at Russia’s Star City − the historic Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre outside Moscow − where she tackled Russian-language lessons and Soyuz emergency drills.

Now Ms Al Matrooshi remains in training, preparing for the call to take part in a UAE space mission.

Out of this world lesson

Her love of space began when a teacher dimmed the lights, pitched a tent in the classroom and told a class of six-year-olds − including Ms Al Matrooshi − that they were going to “travel” to the Moon.

The children crawled through a cardboard tunnel, wore paper “helmets” and taped red and yellow paper flames to homemade jet packs. Unbeknown to the teacher, she had just inspired a little girl to make history.

Nora Al Matrooshi completes tasks underwater during her spacewalk training. Photo: MBRSC

“It gave us that sense of exploring,” said Ms Al Matrooshi. “It was on that day that I decided, 'this is fun, this is exciting'. I wanted to actually go and explore the surface of the Moon.”

Almost a decade earlier, a boy in the desert watched the stars over a remote horizon while elders used constellations to read the seasons.

“I grew up in a very remote area, away from cities – close to the stars,” said Maj Al Mansouri, 41, the UAE’s first astronaut and an F-16 instructor pilot. “I would watch the stars and wonder if I could go there.”

The turning point was in fourth grade when he saw UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, meeting Nasa astronauts.

“I felt jealous in the best way. I wanted to be the person telling him about space,” said Maj Al Mansouri, from Al Wathba in Abu Dhabi.

In 2019, Maj Al Mansouri became the UAE’s first astronaut, spending eight days in orbit and proving that an Emirati could take part in one of humanity’s most complex missions.

He echoes the comments from Ms Al Matrooshi about the honour and sense of duty that comes with representing the UAE's space sector.

“We know we’re the face of a nation and a region,” he said. “We stay up to date in the knowledge, the training and we learn to deliver the message to everyone, not just at work.”

Emirati astronauts answer quirky questions

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'Magical and scientific'

History was made by Maj Al Mansouri when he travelled to the International Space Station in 2019. He joined a select group − fewer than 650 people − who have travelled into space.

It's an experience that will remain alien to most of us, while it's one that he will never forget.

“We take things for granted here: sunset on your face, a breeze, fresh food, hugging your children or your pet,” Maj Al Mansouri said. “In a long-duration space flight the psychological part is real. Training prepares you: communicate with family, do video calls, build community on the station. It eases isolation.”

His favourite memory was looking back at Earth. “It’s magical and scientific at the same time,” Maj Al Mansouri said. “You float, your body relaxes and you see there are no borders − only continents, mountains, oceans. We try to spot our country.

“That gives you the overview effect. If we can work together up there, we can do it down here.”

Since coming back down to Earth, Maj Al Mansouri has remained working at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, where he continues advanced training, supporting the Artemis Gateway lunar programme and mentoring the UAE’s growing astronaut corps.

The Artemis programme is Nasa's multi-mission initiative to establish a long-term human presence on the Moon, conduct scientific discovery and advance technology to prepare for future Mars missions.

Not scared

While travelling into space requires nerve, both astronauts told The National their training held them in good stead.

“Almost every astronaut answers the same way: no,” Ms Al Matrooshi said when asked if she gets scared at the thought. “We’re prepared for worst-case scenarios. Simulations make the response muscle memory.”

Maj Al Mansouri agreed. “I’m a pilot − the launch felt familiar,” he said. “If you’ve trained well and understand depressurisation, fire, all the off-nominal cases, you know what to do.

“You build a bond with your crew for one to two years before flight. You learn each other, anticipate each other. In orbit you depend on that bond.”

Family support

Maj Al Mansouri spoke of the impact that his adventures in space had on his family. His mother asked one thing when he landed: “Don’t fly again.”

“She was scared; it was new for everyone. We made sure she was comfortable. I regularly called my family from space,” he said.

His own keepsakes were small − photos of his children, a piece of jewellery for his wife taken into orbit and brought back.

“Those little things matter,” he said. “My advice when Nora flies is to prepare for the body’s adaptation to microgravity and for the soft-skills part: communicate, practise self-care and team-care. If you don’t take care of yourself, you can harm the team.”

While Ms Al Matrooshi has yet to leave Earth, her selection for the UAE's astronaut programme has placed her firmly in the spotlight.

“It felt a little unreal,” she said. “Something you’ve wanted for so long − I had to pause and let it sink in.

“I focused on the encouragement I received,” she said. “The support from my family was unwavering. My brother who was in high school devoted an entire weekend quizzing me on space travel.”

“My father, when asked if he had any concerns, simply said: 'If God wills something to happen it can happen anywhere, even at home.' That faith and belief gave me so much confidence.”

When asked if she had a message for Emiratis, she said: “I tell them about our opportunities on the Emirates Mars mission here – around 50 per cent were women – you don't see that everywhere.”