Space Kidz India Lists 31 African Nations for Mission ShakthiSAT
Indian aerospace organisation Space Kidz India announces delegates from 31 African countries, including newly announced participant Namibia, are taking part in Mission ShakthiSAT, an India-led all-girls satellite and STEM education programme the organisation describes as the world’s largest of its kind. The claim was made in a press release issued by Space Kidz India and has not been independently verified by any African government, space agency, or diplomatic mission.
According to the organisation, Mission ShakthiSAT brings together 12,000 girls from 108 countries, with selected participants travelling to India for a satellite integration programme that includes payload development, scientific workshops, and leadership training. The initiative is led by Dr Srimathy Kesan, founder and CEO of Space Kidz India, who has previously overseen the organisation’s AzaadiSAT and ShakthiSat cubesat projects.
Space Kidz India’s release lists 31 African countries as participants: Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, alongside Jordan as a non-African partner. Space in Africa was unable to confirm this list with any of the named countries’ space agencies, ministries, or diplomatic representatives at the time of publication.
The organisation says Namibian students and women ambassadors selected for the programme will travel to India to take part in satellite integration, cultural exchange, and collaborative research activities, though it did not name the individuals or institutions involved, nor specify a selection process.
Space Kidz India is now soliciting sponsorship from African governments, ministries, embassies, national space agencies, airlines, corporate CSR foundations, development agencies, universities, and the African diaspora to cover international airfare, visa costs, travel insurance, and related expenses for the selected delegates.
The 12,000-girls, 108-countries figures cited in the release match language Space Kidz India has used consistently since the mission’s February 2025 launch event in Chennai and a more recent June 2026 announcement of a partnership with Gautam Buddha University, the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority, and India’s IN-SPACe.