Gen Z Girl Power from 108 Countries Builds ShaktiSat, Aiming for Nothing Less Than the Moon

In a remarkable display of global Gen Z girl power, schoolgirls representing 108 countries gathered in Greater Noida with a shared dream that reaches far beyond national borders, beyond Earth orbit and ultimately towards the Moon itself. The initiative is called Mission ShaktiSat, an ambitious all-girls satellite programme led by Chennai based Space Kidz India, a pioneering organisation that has spent years introducing children, especially girls, to the world of space science and satellite technology. For this generation of aspiring scientists, engineers and explorers, ShaktiSat is much more than a satellite. It is a statement that girls can be builders, designers and leaders of the future space age. In over three decades of reporting on science, technology and space, including launches from Sriharikota, human spaceflight missions and some of the world's most advanced research facilities, this correspondent has rarely witnessed such a powerful gathering of young girls united by a single dream. Never before has there been such a visible concentration of global Gen Z girl power in one location, all working toward a common goal of reaching space and eventually the Moon. Held with support from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (INSPACe) and Gautam Buddha University, the event brought together young participants from across continents, creating what is perhaps the world’s largest gathering of budding aerospace girl scientists ever assembled in India. At the centre of it all stood a satellite called ShaktiSat. "108 countries, 12,000 girls, mission to the moon is objective of ShaktiSat," said Dr Srimathi Kesan, Founder and CEO of Space Kidz India, widely known as the "Space Amma" of India.