A 17-year-old Bhutanese student is taking her first step into space technology to join an international team working on a lunar mission. Chimi Cheki Yangzom, a class 11 student at Yoechen Central School in Pema Gatshel, is the first Bhutanese student selected for Mission ShakthiSAT in India. The mission is an all-female-led initiative that aims to design, build, and test two small satellites for a lunar mission planned for October this year.
For most students, space exploration begins with a lesson in the classroom. For Chimi, it is about to become a hands-on experience.
She left for Delhi yesterday, accompanied by an official from the GovTech Agency, where she will spend eight days learning and working on satellite technology as part of Mission ShakthiSAT.
“Through this programme, I’m expecting to gain hands-on experience and develop practical and technical engineering skills. Beyond that, I hope to make many international friends and gain valuable exposure.”
Chimi’s interest in space technology began long before this opportunity. She took part in various STEM activities at school and represented her coding club at a coding event in Trashigang.
That interest has now taken her from a school coding club in Pema Gatshel to an international space programme.
For Chimi, the eight-day programme will include hands-on learning in areas such as satellite design, payload development, coding, testing, and mission operations.
The experience will expose Chimi to a field that is still emerging in Bhutan.
“To my fellow students, as His Majesty the King said, it is not about whether we can do it or not; it is about whether we do it or not. If we don’t back down and give our best to do what we love, nothing is impossible.”
Mission ShakthiSAT is a global space education initiative empowering 12,000 girls from 108 countries to learn about space science, satellite technology and mission development.
According to the GovTech Agency, Chimi’s participation marks an important step in empowering young Bhutanese innovators and reaffirms the nation’s commitment to science, technology, and innovation.
From Pema Gatshel to an international lunar mission, Chimi is carrying more than Bhutan’s flag to Delhi. She is carrying a message for the young students: you do not have to come from a big city to dream big.
Kelzang Chhophyel
Edited by Sonam Pem
