New Delhi

Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Technology and chairwoman of the UAE Space Agency, has been named as one of Time Magazine’s 2021 list of the next 100 most influential people in the world.

Sarah became the first Muslim woman scientist to lead a space mission, when Amal, hope for Arabic, the first-ever Arab interplanetary mission was placed in the orbit of Mars on February 9.

The 2021 Time100 Next list, which celebrates 100 emerging leaders who are shaping the future of entertainment, health, political and business among other fields, named Al Amiri among 54 women on the list.

Sarah thanked the magazine for this honour.

Thanks to @TIME for naming me on their 100 Next list, it's a mark of recognition I accept on behalf of the entire Emirates Mars Mission team, many of whom deserve the accolade a great deal more than I.https://t.co/4Z3phX7C0V

— Sarah Al Amiri (@SarahAmiri1) February 18, 2021

Under her leadership the UAE’s is set to launch its lunar mission in 2024.  

Earlier Sarah said in an official video release recently that the UAE’s mission to Mars was expedited for making the satellite land on the red planet in the 50th year of her country UAE’s formation. UAE turns 50 this year and later sometime, Amal will try to land on the red planet.

A product of American school in Dubai, 33- year minister and head of UAE's Space Agency said the satellite launch was completed in record six years while as such a project generally takes 10 years.

Speaking after the launch of Amal, Amiri, who is the youngest minister in the world, said the mission was her country’s gift to humanity in its 50th year.

Wearing an abaya and a headscarf and speaking in chaste English, Amiri said, ‘space was a sector that we never dared to dream growing upon it.”

Without invoking religion at any time, she said the space mission was about ‘giving a solid bedrock deeply rooted in science, technology to her country for the next 50 years.”

“This is my story and of 200 other people who worked with me on this entire mission; it’s the story of the transformation of an entire nation,” she told the Arab nation which erupted in joy after Amal was successfully placed in the Mars orbit.

The missions she said is with the mindset of growth of accelerating the building of the nation, of unity, of coexistence that has spurred the mission to reach the point that it is today.

Amiri said on this international mission, 450 souls worked, collaboratively across continents, across time zones to ensure the mission arrives on time towards the destination, ensuring that capabilities are developed in emirates because for us this mission is about the next 50 years.

She said the mission was not a choice for us this is our reality.

The mission was announced in 2014 and 'Hope' succeeded in entering the planet's orbit on 9 February. 

Sara Al Amiri is a computer engineer and is the UAE's Minister of State for Advanced Science, and is also the Deputy Project Manager of the Science Mission, under whose leadership the Hope Mission succeeded.