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If it becomes a reality, the Chennai company will become the first private player from India to conduct such a mission to the lunar surface.
Space Kidz, a Chennai-based space startup, is planning to have an all-women scientific lunar mission by September 2026, in which girl students in Classes 8 and 9 from 108 countries will work alongside the company's team.
The satellite, with a payload of 80 kilograms, will include an orbiter, a lander, and a propulsion module, with the aim of crash-landing on the moon's surface.
If this becomes a reality, the Chennai-based company will become the first private player from India to conduct such a mission to the lunar surface.
Space Kidz rose to fame in February 2023, when it spearheaded a mission called AzaadiSat.
Here, a satellite made by 750 girls from government schools across India was carried by the Indian Space Research Organisation's Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV-D2) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
IT service provider Hexaware Technologies, Ananth Technologies, and Lumina Datamatics backed the company for AzaadiSat, while NITI Aayog also played a supporting role.
"We are even trying to crash-land on the moon. We are aiming for a spacecraft mass of 80 kilograms, while AzaadiSat weighed around 12 kg," said Srimathy Kesan, founder and CEO, Space Kidz India.
"By the end of January, we will be partnering with some global players, including educational institutions, and will release more details about this mission," Kesan added.
As a first step towards this ambitious moon project, called ShakthiSAT, the company is kick-starting a training programme for 12,000 kids in January next year.
"This is a collaboration in which we will bring together 108 countries. We will be educating 12,000 girls in satellite technology," Kesan told Business Standard.
"The project will be conducted online. After that, in September or October next year, one child from each country will be selected and brought to India. They will work with my team to build a spacecraft for lunar orbit," she added.
If the moon mission turns into reality, this will be one of the major milestones for Indian private sector space companies, after the sector was opened up for private participation.
This was following the space reforms announced by the government in 2020. More than 250 space startups have emerged in India in the last four years after these reforms.
"We will approach Isro for the launch and request assistance in training these 108 children. We have already signed a MoU (memorandum of understanding) with IN-SPACe (a single-window autonomous agency under the department of space) for academic help. This is predominantly a corporate social responsibility-funded project," explained Kesan.
The company is planning to depend on India's warhorse launch vehicle, the PSLV, which can carry up to 1,750 kg, so that other companies can also be a part of this mission.
"The estimated expense is expected to be in the range of $8 to $10 million. This will be a proper scientific experimental mission, and we will reveal the details of our mission soon. We are targeting September 2026 for the mission and plan to kick it off by January 15. The children will receive 120 hours of classes," she said.
The aim of the mission is to spread the Indian ethos of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam across the world.
"In various countries, we are reaching out to kids through respective ministries, space agencies, and network groups," Kesan said. "We have received a positive response from all the countries. All the kids we select will come from humble backgrounds."
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
