

Mishaal Ashemimry: “My passion for aerospace started at 6 years old, in the Nefud desert”

Mishaal Ashemimry Women's power

Mishaal Ashemimry

Mishaal Ashemimry is an aerospace engineer, who specialised in rocket science. Her passion was born when she was just age six, on a night full of stars, in the Nafud desert, in her native Saudi Arabia. Chasing her dream to reach for the stars, she worked with the NASA while completing her Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering. Today she owns her company, MISHAAL Aerospace.

KAWA : As a Saudi woman, was it difficult to work as an aerospace engineer ?

When you talk about science what matters at the end is the actual science, not where you come from or what’s going on, etc. where it plays a role as to create.. like, developing the science to do some reasearch is really how you see, and your perspective. That could be influenced by certain cultures which is actually great. The more cultures, the more brains from different perspectives, the better the technology!

KAWA : Where does your passion for space and rockets come from ?

My passion for aerospace started when I was about 6 years old, in the Nefud of the Unaizah desert, which is in Saudi Arabia. My mother took me there, at night, where the stars were super dense, and it was cold, you would hear faint noises of camels, and I looked up in the sky and I saw the stars and I was inspired. So I said that’s it: I got to go to space, the best way to to do it is to make the rocket. Therefore I became an aerospace engineer.

KAWA : What is your favorite city in Saudi Arabia ?

I would have to say Jeddah, because I can go scuba diving in the Red Sea, because I like scuba diving.