Astronaut race narrows down to 9 Emiratis

After the assessment, the corps of four astronauts will be chosen based on the comprehensive evaluation for each candidate.

The selection of the UAE's first astronaut corps has reached its final evaluation phase, with nine candidates in the running.
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has said the nine candidates will undergo an "intensive assessment" in Russia by experts from the Russian space agency Roscosmos.
After the assessment, a corps of four astronauts will be chosen, based on the comprehensive evaluation on each candidate.
The tests will be carried out by experts from Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre and will include intensive medical and physical tests for each candidate to ensure they are ready for special space-related training. This may extend up to 14 days for each candidate.
"The last phase of the evaluation process for the nine candidates will be a major step for us to choose the best candidate who will represent the UAE in space and carry out national missions assigned to space exploration and scientific research to benefit humanity. This supports the objectives of the UAE Astronauts Programme, as well as the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to build national capabilities in space science and take this sector to strategic levels," Yousuf Al Shaibani, director-general of the MBRSC, said.
"We appreciate the fruitful and constructive cooperation with a long-established organisation such as Roscosmos. The first task will be to prepare a final comprehensive evaluation of each candidate, to select the first Emirati astronaut corps in accordance with the highest international standards, in addition to the agency's task of training two astronauts, for one of them to join the flight to the International Space Station (ISS) in April."
The nine out of the 18 candidates have passed the one-to-one interviews by the MBRSC. After the UAE's first astronaut corps of four has been chosen, one of them will jet off to space in April for a 10-day mission at the International Space Centre.
The Russian Space Agency, Roscosmos, and the MBRSC have recently signed an agreement to send the first Emirati into space and participate in scientific research in a Russian mission to the ISS.
Two astronauts from the Emirati corps will be trained in Russia, one primary and one backup. One of them will be joining a crew of a Russian commander and an American astronaut in Soyuz MS-12 spaceflight, which is planned to launch to ISS in April 2019. The others will receive extensive training for future long duration space missions.
The UAE Astronaut Programme, which is funded by the ICT Fund of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, had received a total of 4,022 applicants when it was first launched end of last year.
Only 95 were then chosen to go through medical, psychometric and ability assessment tests.
After that round, 38 candidates qualified for the initial interview stage and extensive psychology tests, followed by 18 who qualified for assessment tests by the MBRSC higher committee and international space agencies. Now, only nine remain for the final evaluation round.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com