CubeSat developed by Nepali high school students to be launched by ISRO
KATHMANDU, JANUARY 10
The Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) has announced a landmark achievement in the nation's space program with the upcoming launch of MUNAL, Nepal's first satellite fully developed in-house by high school students.
According to NAST, the CubeSat will be launched on January 12, 2026, at 10:32 am Nepal Standard Time, aboard the PSLV-C62 rocket of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India. The satellite will be placed into a low Earth orbit at an altitude of around 800 kilometres.
MUNAL was designed and built over the past two years at the Space Systems Laboratory based at Kathmandu University High School (KUHS). The project was carried out in collaboration with Antarikchya Pratisthan Nepal (APN) and ISRO, marking a significant step forward in Nepal–India space cooperation.
The satellite has been developed by a team of nine high school students from different schools across Nepal, with technical support from Nepali engineers and researchers. Its primary missions include monitoring vegetation using dual cameras, testing a locally developed Satellite System-on-Chip, and demonstrating artificial intelligence-based onboard data processing.
Mission operations will be conducted from the NAST Ground Station in Khumaltar, making it Nepal's first student satellite to be operated domestically.
"We are not just launching a satellite; we are launching the aspirations and careers of our youth," stated Prof. Dr. Dilip Subba, Vice Chancellor of NAST.
The project is supported through grant assistance from the Government of India, including the Ministry of External Affairs and NewSpace India Limited (NSIL). The collaboration was formalised following the 2024 visit of Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar to Nepal.
NAST officials said MUNAL is intended as a foundational prototype for Nepal's national space roadmap, with plans to build on the experience to develop more advanced micro-satellites and nurture a sustainable space ecosystem involving academic institutions and startups.
The launch is being viewed as a landmark achievement for Nepal's scientific community and a major boost to student-led innovation in space science.