His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has announced the names of the two new recruit astronauts.
The new astronauts, Nora Al Matrooshi and Mohammed Al Mulla will join the UAE Astronaut Programme.
The new recruits will join Hazzaa Al Mansoori and Sultan Al Neyadi and form a team of four for the mission.
Over 4,305 participants applied for the second batch of the UAE Astronaut Programme and went through IQ, personality, and technical assessments and were further shortlisted.
The final committee consisted of Emirati astronauts Hazzaa Al Mansoori and Sultan Al Neyadi along with NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Anne McClain.
The final four candidates went through tests for physical fitness, communication skills and teamwork with the final two, Nora Al Matrooshi and Mohammed Al Mulla being selected to join the programme.