# Andhra student selected for all-female lunar CubeSat mission 2026-08-05T23:18:50+00:00 | Health & Science | Indian Opinion Desk Kandula Jessie, a 14 year old from Dowleswaram in Andhra Pradesh, is one of 20 Indian participants chosen for Mission ShakthiSAT, described by The Times of India as the world's first global all-girls lunar CubeSat mission, selected from close to 12,000 applicants across 108 countries. She is the only student from her state on the list. A student at Zilla Parishad Girls High School, Jessie was registered for the programme by her teacher Manimala through the school's Atal Tinkering Lab. Selection meant roughly 550 online sessions across 21 modules, a one hour interview in English with international scientists, and a one minute video submission, fitted around her Class 10 board exam preparation. Her father works as a carpenter, and her mother Aruna told the paper the family had moved her from a private school to a government one because of financial pressure. Jessie leaves for hands on training in New Delhi on 23 August, ahead of a proposed 11 October launch from Sriharikota under Space Kidz India's Dr Srimathy Kesan. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The account is built entirely around Jessie's individual path: it says nothing about the other 19 Indian participants, or what becomes of them once the coursework and the New Delhi phase begin. The detail on her family's finances comes from her mother Aruna, quoted in her own words, not from framing added around the story. Whether Jessie's cohort makes it from training to launch depends on two dates already set: the New Delhi phase opening 23 August, and the proposed Sriharikota liftoff on 11 October. ## Coverage - The Times of India Tags: Kandula Jessie, Mission ShakthiSAT Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/carpenters-daughter-selected-for-the-worlds-first-all-girls-moon-mission-meet-the-andhra-teen-chasing-her-isro-dream/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/carpenters-daughter-selected-for-the-worlds-first-all-girls-moon-mission-meet-the-andhra-teen-chasing-her-isro-dream/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.