Nurturing India’s Next-Gen Space Innovators: La Fondation Dassault Systèmes, India Concludes New Aerospace School Program
“My First Aerospace Program,” a multi-city STEM initiative, inspires 150 school children across Bengaluru, Chennai, Gurugram, and Pune by enabling them to design, test, build and launch their DIY rockets, CubeSats, and rovers.
Bangalore, Sep 10, 2026. La Fondation Dassault Systèmes, India announced the final stage of its new landmark STEM initiative, “My First Aerospace Program,” concluding in Pune. Designed to nurture young minds and ignite their curiosity about the growing space sector and associated education pathways, the multi-city program has successfully inspired 150 school children aged 13–16 across four key technology hubs: Bengaluru, Chennai, Gurugram, and Pune.
La Fondation Dassault Systèmes, India is conducting “My First Aerospace Program” in collaboration with SSERD (Society for Space Education Research and Development), a not-for-profit body working in the space sector.
The program establishes an experiential learning corridor across India, guiding students through a structured path. Supported by skill volunteers from Dassault Systèmes, participants progress from understanding basic STEM concepts to using 3D technology to nurture their ideas and bring them to life.
By combining hands-on learning with virtual validation, students develop crucial problem-solving, creativity, and collaborative engineering skills through end-to-end rocketry, satellite, and rover activities. The initiative forms the foundational layer of La Fondation Dassault Systèmes, India’s comprehensive educational ecosystem designed to bridge early school education with higher-level industry readiness programs across India’s evolving space ecosystem.
“Nurturing early curiosity in science and engineering is essential to sustaining India’s progress in the space sector. By connecting early school learning with university initiatives like ConnectNext-Industry Readiness for Space and CubeSat Design & Development, we are empowering students and educators across disciplines to actively contribute to the nation’s space ambitions,” said Sudarshan Mogasale, Chairman of Board of Directors, La Fondation Dassault Systèmes, India.
“At SSERD, we believe India’s future in space will be built in classrooms today. ‘My First Aerospace Program’ proves that when we give a 13-year-old the tools to build a rocket or a CubeSat, we are not just teaching STEM, we are igniting a career and giving them a powerful motive to excel in academics, while building skills and creating talent pipeline for NewSpace India,” said Nikhita Chadde, Co-founder and Trustee, Society for Space Education, Research and Development (SSERD).
Beyond school education, La Fondation Dassault Systèmes, continues to strengthen higher education engagement in the space domain. As part of its ConnectNext-Industry Readiness for Space program, it enables undergraduate students and educators to participate in national CanSat and model rocketry competitions through technical coaching and mentoring. It also empowers undergraduate students with future-ready skills to engineer space missions and design CubeSats using virtual twin technology.
About La Fondation Dassault Systèmes
La Fondation Dassault Systèmes supports transformative, public-interest projects in education, research and heritage that leverage virtual worlds. Its mission is to spark young people’s interest in science and technology, inspire them to pursue careers in these fields and help students build the skills they’ll need for tomorrow. It also supports innovative scientific research and heritage projects to push the boundaries of knowledge. Beyond funding, La Fondation Dassault Systèmes engages a network of employee volunteers to share their expertise, helping partners bring their projects to life and explore new possibilities. It operates through three foundations in Europe, India and the United States.
In India, it is incorporated as a company with non-profit objectives dedicated to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities under the name “Dassault Systèmes Foundation.”
