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Profile
Sahba El-Shawa
Jordan Space Research Initiative
Sahba El-Shawa is a Jordanian-Canadian interdisciplinary researcher and engineer originally from Palestine. She is the first Jordanian and the first female Palestinian analog astronaut, as well as the Founder of the Jordan Space Research Initiative, which aims to bridge sustainable development with space exploration. Sahba holds a BASc in Mechanical Engineering, an MSc in Space Studies, and is now pursuing her PhD in Sustainable Development and Climate Change. She has previously worked with the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) on robotics research and at the European Space Agency’s Clean Space initiative focusing on the environmental impacts of space activities. Sahba is the Co-lead of the Space Generation Advisory Council’s Ethics & Human Rights project group and a National Coordinator in the Moon Village Association’s Participation of Emerging Space Countries program. She is committed to creating opportunities for underrepresented communities and guiding the space industry towards a more equitable, ethical, and sustainable future.