CHENNAI: Mission ShakthiSAT, the historic all-girls satellite mission to the Moon led by Dr. Srimathy Kesan, is expanding its global outreach and inviting international organizations, universities, industries, STEM leaders, educators, innovators, and policymakers to become part of one of the world’s most ambitious educational space missions.
Led by Space Kidz India, Mission ShakthiSAT aims to empower more than 12,000 girls from 108 countries through space science, leadership, innovation, diplomacy, and scientific collaboration. Since its official launch on 16 January 2025 with participation from representatives across 108 nations, the mission has evolved into a global platform connecting ambassadors, scientists, educators, aerospace experts, universities, policymakers, and students through a shared vision of empowering girls through space education and leadership.
A major milestone was achieved with the rollout of the mission’s globally designed 21-module curriculum hosted on the Zoho Learn platform. Developed by professors, scientists, and international experts, the curriculum provides students with practical exposure to satellite systems, innovation, leadership, sustainability, entrepreneurship, and emerging space technologies. The initiative is designed to foster scientific curiosity, teamwork, diplomacy, and future-ready leadership among young girls worldwide.
Mission ShakthiSAT is proudly supported by an esteemed international advisory network including Dr. Claire Nelson, Dr. Hashima Hasan, Alma Okpalefe, Huma Siddiqui, Maria Militsopoulou, Melina Maghazehi, and Yip ThyDiep Ta, whose international expertise and leadership continue to strengthen the mission’s global impact and collaborative vision.
The mission is currently entering its defining Phase 2, focusing on international collaboration, scientific exchange, leadership engagement, and satellite integration. As part of this phase, Mission ShakthiSAT is integrating international payload concepts and collaborations representing multiple continents and regions across the globe. Key participating institutions and organizations include Macquarie University representing Australia, Shamaal Space representing South America, University of South Alabama and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University representing the United States, Egyptian Space Agency representing the African continent, and SMW Engineering representing Europe. These collaborations symbolize international unity, scientific cooperation, and collective innovation through space exploration.
In a unique intersection of aerospace technology and creative industries, Mission ShakthiSAT is set to redefine how global scientific initiatives establish their visual identity. The mission is actively looking to collaborate with premier apparel design institutions, visionary fashion photographers, and professional makeup artists to co-create a powerful, globally recognized identity for this historic initiative.
As part of this effort, Mission ShakthiSAT will host the world’s first-ever “Space Meets Fashion” Ramp Show on 29 August 2026, bringing together space science, sustainability, culture, creativity, innovation, and fashion on a single global platform. The mission welcomes collaborations from fashion institutes, creative studios, designers, media professionals, and visual artists from around the world.
In addition, the mission will organize the International Women Diplomacy Summit on 28 August 2026, bringing together women leaders, ambassadors, scientists, policymakers, educators, innovators, entrepreneurs, and young changemakers from across the globe to discuss women’s leadership, diplomacy, STEM, sustainability, and international cooperation through space exploration. Details regarding the upcoming Global Summit, including registration timelines and delegate guidelines, will be officially announced in the coming weeks.
Beyond its educational outreach, Mission ShakthiSAT champions a critical shift in how nations approach Lower Earth Orbit (LEO) resource utilization. If the underlying goals and visions of multiple countries are aligned toward standard scientific discovery, the traditional approach of launching separate, redundant satellites becomes unnecessary. By consolidating resources, a single, collaborative satellite can efficiently capture and distribute comprehensive data to all participating international partners.
Through this unified framework, the project will actively showcase how global space cooperation can drastically mitigate orbital crowding and advance actionable space debris management. The mission also plans to launch a dedicated Low Earth Orbit satellite focused on promoting awareness regarding sustainable space exploration and responsible orbital utilization, reinforcing the shared responsibility of preserving the space environment for future generations.
This landmark international initiative is envisioned to launch from Satish Dhawan Space Centre on 11 October 2026, commemorating the International Day of the Girl Child and serving as a major milestone toward the future Moon mission. Mission ShakthiSAT represents more than a satellite mission — it is a global platform for unity, innovation, peace, education, leadership, and international cooperation through space exploration. The mission symbolizes the collective aspirations of young girls worldwide and aims to inspire the next generation of scientists, innovators, diplomats, entrepreneurs, and changemakers.
As the mission continues to grow, Mission ShakthiSAT invites universities, corporations, aerospace organizations, CSR leaders, government bodies, educational institutions, innovators, and global partners to collaborate in shaping the future of women in space and science.
