Dr Srimathy Kesan
In the heart of a world often divided by borders, Mission ShakthiSAT was born from a bold,unifying dream—to bring 12,000 girls from 108 nations together to build and launch a satellite to the Moon’s orbit. Led by Space Kidz India and SKI Star Foundation, this global initiative has grown into one of the most ambitious educational space missions of our time, driven by the vision of peace, power, and possibility.
The story officially began on January 16, 2025, when women ambassadors—called Devis—from across the world met virtually for the Global Ambassadors & Advisors Meet.They were teachers, scientists, engineers, and dreamers, each representing their country in what would become the largest all-girls space mission ever conceived. As plans were outlined, partnerships announced, and expectations set, the collective energy felt like a countdown to history. The launchpad wasn’t just in Chennai—it was in every living room, classroom, and village where a young girl dared to dream of space.
A few months later, on April 18, 2025, the first rocket of knowledge was launched—the ShakthiSAT Curriculum. Carefully designed to accommodate all levels of learners, this free 120-hour course covered everything from orbital mechanics and antenna design to PCB engineering, ham radio, AI in space, and even space policy and ethics. The curriculum was more than academic; it was revolutionary. Girls from Mozambique and Moldova, Sri Lanka and Suriname, all studied the same code, the same laws of physics, the same sky.
And then came the moment that sparked a deep fire in the hearts of the young astronauts-in-training—a guest lecture from Astronaut Ron Rosano, a passionate STEM advocate and educator. Speaking from the quiet stillness of his California observatory, Ron appeared on screens from Afghanistan to Argentina, sharing his life’s journey and the magic of seeing Earth from above. “Space,” he told the students, “is not a destination—it’s a perspective. And you, each one of you, are building that perspective, one circuit board, one equation, one line of code at a time.”
His words were more than a lecture. They were an ignition. One student from Kenya wrote in her journal, “I never knew someone like me could be spoken to by someone who has touched the stars.” Another from Nepal said, “Ron made me believe that I am not small—I am made of stardust too.”
From classrooms to Equitorial Guinea
Fueled by this inspiration, national coordinators and Devis began organizing local training camps and orientation sessions. From classrooms in Equitorial Guinea to makeshift labs in Haiti, students practiced soldering circuits, tuning antennas, simulating orbits, and writing lines of Python to control imaginary satellites. In some cases, electricity was borrowed from a neighbour’s solar panel just to complete the online module. Still, the passion never dimmed.
Behind the scenes, Mission ShakthiSAT is powered by the collaboration of global space leaders—ISRO, IN-SPACe, Meridian Space Command, and Space Park Leicester—working together to prepare the mission’s technical and logistical framework. Their efforts will come to fruition in January 2026, when 108 top-performing girls, one from each participating country will arrive in Chennai, India, for an intensive satellite building and payload integration program. Over several weeks, these students will receive hands-on training in satellite systems, subsystem integration, payload wiring, PCB design, and telemetry testing. Under expert mentorship, they’ll transform theoretical knowledge into practical space hardware. It will be the first time many of them work in a real aerospace environment, and their collaboration across cultures will form a unique global sisterhood bonded by science.
By March 2026, their payload will undergo rigorous ground testing—vibration, thermal vacuum, and radio frequency tests—ensuring flight readiness. Ground station systems will be calibrated for live tracking and communication.
Finally, in September 2026, the satellite will be launched by ISRO, either to lunar orbit or LEO, depending on mission logistics. This historic event will mark the world’s first international all-girls satellite, redefining what’s possible for young women in STEM and space exploration.
Yet even before the satellite leaves the Earth, Mission ShakthiSAT has launched something even greater: a global sisterhood of young minds who now believe in their power to shape the universe. From building circuits to communicating with satellites via ham radio, these girls are becoming engineers, thinkers, and leaders—not tomorrow, but today. Mission ShakthiSAT proves that the sky is not the limit—it is only the beginning.
(Dr Srimathy Kesan is founder CEO of Space Kidz india, Chennai, who conceived, pioneered and taking forward this Mission ShakthiSat for the last few years)
