Dubai: Out of 4,300 applicants for the Emirates Astronaut Programme, 1,400 are Emirati women and 130 are Emiratis with PHDs, it was announced by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Sunday.

In a tweet posted by Sheikh Mohammed, the Dubai Ruler said, “Today, I received the statistics of applicants for the Emirates Astronaut Program… where we will announce two Emirati astronauts soon… 1,400 Emirati girls among the applicants out of 4,300 applicants… and 130 Emiratis with a PHD in the applicants… proud of desire… proud of passion. Proud of the people of this country..”

Hazzaa AlMansoori became the first Emirati in space last September when he embarked on a successful eight day mission to the International Space Station.

Registrations for the second batch of Emirati astronauts opened in December 2019. The initial deadline was March 31 but was extended to May 1.