Last year, in a monumental leap for Egypt, Africa, and the Arab world, astronaut Sara Sabry etched her name in history as the first woman from these regions to venture into space.
Born in Cairo, Egypt, Sabry exhibited an early passion for astronomy and space exploration. Her unwavering determination and exceptional academic prowess paved the way for her to pursue a career in mechanical engineering from American University in Cairo, with a concentration in Mechatronics and double minors in Biology and Chemistry, where she graduated with top honors. Later, she completed her masters in Biomedical Engineering from Politecnico di Milano in Italy, and she is currently pursuing her PhD in Aerospace Sciences at the University of North Dakota.
However, her path to space was not without its challenges. In a field traditionally dominated by men, she navigated through obstacles, proving her worth through hard work, resilience, and a profound love for space exploration. Her dedication within the aerospace industry caught the attention of international space agencies, allowing her to be selected from a pool of highly qualified and skilled candidates to travel to space. Through her experience, she realized that in space research there are less opportunities available for those who are not from the West. This led her to create the Deep Space Initiative that would be based in Colorado to help people of all ethnicities and backgrounds to have access to this field.
Looking back to the day of her launch, it was a historic moment that excited millions; clad in a spacesuit adorned with the Egyptian flag, Sabry confidently embarked on her journey aboard a spacecraft. Through her time in space, Sabry gained perspective on our world and was inspired to develop more opportunities on Earth to help reach more people to share this experience with. Being the first Egyptian, African, and Arab woman to go to space, Sabry represented more than herself when aboard this spacecraft.
“It really felt like a step forward not just for me personally but for a lot of other people,” she said in a CNN interview. “For them to be able to have that representation, to see that things are possible even though we’re told it’s not…I have dedicated my life for this mission.”
Sabry explained that as she grew more involved within the space field and education, she began to see the problems with opportunity outreach and how it restricted groups of people from pursuing their dream. By developing her non-profit company, Deep Space Initiative, in September of 2021, she has empowered people of all nationalities to participate in space research through a diverse array of podcasts, courses, and online series. Sabry explained that her company “currently [has] around 205 people from 28 different nationalities working on 53 space projects, which is really cool to see.”
As her company continues to develop, it has given people the chance to demonstrate their intelligence and talents in a field that has few opportunities. Sabry looks forward to the work that will be produced from the projects that are being conducted, and how the results will continue to push space research to new heights. By leading the way for more nationalities to take part in the space field, Sabry is paving the way for a wider representation of people who are eager to travel to and learn more about space.
