108 countries, one satellite: All-girls space mission sets world record

indiatoday.in Sep 26, 2026

108 countries, one satellite: All-girls space mission sets world record

Curated by Shubham · TechCapsules · Sep 26, 2026

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

India’s Space Kidz India launched the ShakthiSAT mission, assembling a 12U CubeSat with the participation of girls from 108 countries. The project, completed in Phase 2, involved hands‑on work on spacecraft assembly, electrical fabrication, solar panel soldering, power‑bus setup, and payload integration. Participants reviewed satellite details on computers and collaborated with international payload teams from Latvia, Egypt, and others. The launch will occur aboard India’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), setting a world record for an all‑girls space initiative.

💡 Why It Matters

· The mission demonstrates a scalable model for global STEM engagement, proving that diverse, distributed teams can produce operational satellites.
· It signals a shift toward inclusive, collaborative space development that could lower barriers for future international projects.

Capsules Space

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All-Girls Space Mission from 108 Countries Sets New World Record

Mission ShakthiSAT, an initiative by Space Kidz India, assembled girls from 108 countries to build a 12U CubeSat, aiming to launch on India’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle. The project reached a milestone with the successful completion of Phase 2, which focused on hands‑on spacecraft engineering and satellite development. Participants engaged in mechanical integration, structural preparation, and electrical assembly, including solar panel soldering and power‑bus setup. International payload collaborations included teams from Latvia, Egypt, the United States, Brazil, Australia, Switzerland, and the Philippines, fostering global scientific cooperation.

💡 By creating the first all‑girls space mission, the program demonstrates how inclusive, hands‑on STEM initiatives can accelerate talent pipelines and strengthen international collaboration in space exploration.

taipeitimes.com · Sep 26

Google plans test of space chips in Project Suncatcher

Alphabet’s Google announced it will launch a prototype satellite next week to conduct its first in‑orbit test of Project Suncatcher, a research initiative exploring large‑scale AI computing in space. The mission will use SpaceX’s Transporter‑18 rideshare launch, carrying Google’s tensor processing units (TPUs) to low Earth orbit. The test will evaluate the chips’ resilience to launch forces, radiation, extreme temperatures, and cooling challenges in vacuum. Findings will inform future plans to deploy AI data centers in orbit, including high‑bandwidth laser links and heat‑pipe radiator systems.

💡 Demonstrating AI hardware viability in space could unlock continuous solar power for data centers, bypassing terrestrial energy limits and reshaping global computing infrastructure.

natureworldnews.com · Sep 26

NASA and S paceX Target Oct. 1 Launch for Crew-13,Setting Up Crew-12’s…

NASA and SpaceX are aiming for an 11:10 a.m. EDT launch on Thursday, Oct. 1, for the Crew‑13 mission to the International Space Station, NASA announced in its latest update. The four‑person crew—NASA commander Jessica Watkins, pilot Luke Delaney, CSA astronaut Joshua Kutryk and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov—will ride a SpaceX Dragon capsule atop a Falcon 9 from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral. If the launch proceeds as planned, the spacecraft will dock with the Harmony module’s forward port about nine hours later, around 8 p.m. EDT, and join Expedition 75. Crew‑13’s arrival will trigger the handover that allows the four members of Crew‑12 to undock and splash down off California, concluding a nearly eight‑month stay. The launch date follows a delay caused by an oxidizer‑valve leak discovered in September, which required replacement and additional testing. Weather and final readiness reviews remain variables that could shift the schedule.

💡 The timing of Crew‑13’s launch directly determines the safe return of the longest‑standing crew on the ISS, ending an unprecedented eight‑month occupancy and resetting the station’s crew rotation cycle.

quantumcomputingreport.com · Sep 25

Creotech Quantum Wins €2.33M ($2.66M USD) ESA Contract for Space-Grade Quantum Detectors

Creotech Quantum S.A. secured a €2.33 million (US$2.66 million) contract from the European Space Agency to lead an international consortium developing high‑rate quantum key distribution (HRQKD) detectors. The prime contractor will design, manufacture, and validate superconducting nanowire single‑photon detectors (SNSPDs) and associated electronics over 24 months, advancing the technology to TRL 5. The detectors will support European satellite networks—EuroQCI, IRIS², ARTES, SAGA, and ScyLight—enabling secure quantum key reception and ultra‑low‑noise deep‑space optical communications.

💡 The project pushes critical quantum sensing hardware toward operational readiness, strengthening Europe’s secure communication infrastructure and expanding capabilities for faint deep‑space signal detection.

newkerala.com · Sep 25

Musk Backs Space AI Compute As Google Plans Suncatcher Launch

Elon Musk amplified his vision that all future computing will migrate to space while sharing a video of Google’s Senior Director Travis Beals discussing the company’s Project Suncatcher. Google announced the moonshot initiative to test Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) on a prototype satellite slated for launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 on Oct. 1. The project aims to evaluate the performance of AI hardware in low‑Earth orbit, where continuous sunlight can provide up to eight times more solar power than on Earth, enabling high‑bandwidth laser links to the Starlink network. Musk also referenced SpaceX’s Starmind concept, which plans to deploy Nvidia‑based AI computers in orbit to create localized data centers that leverage space’s natural cooling and power advantages. The collaboration marks a rare public convergence of two tech giants on orbital AI compute research.

💡 Demonstrating viable AI workloads in space could unlock a new class of ultra‑scalable, energy‑rich computing platforms, reshaping how data‑intensive services are delivered globally.

newsable.asianetnews.com · Sep 25

Google To Send AI Chips Into Orbit Next Week Aboard SpaceX Rocket,…

Google announced it will launch a prototype satellite on SpaceX’s Transporter‑18 rideshare mission on October 1 to test its Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) in orbit. The test, part of Project Suncatcher, will evaluate how the chips handle radiation, thermal extremes, and launch vibrations, and will also assess cooling solutions such as heat pipes and radiators. The mission partners with Planet and aims to gather data for a future orbital AI computing network that could link many satellites. Google’s TPUs have already survived simulated launch and radiation tests.

💡 By proving AI chips can survive space conditions, Google could pioneer a low‑Earth‑orbit computing platform that offers near‑continuous solar power and reduced latency for global data processing.