Pakistan team earns three awards at International Space Games in Moscow

Pakistan’s delegation from the Institute of Space Technology has secured three honours at the International Space Games 2026 in Moscow, marking a notable result for the country’s students and young professionals working in space science and mission operations. The awards were announced at the competition’s closing and prize-giving ceremony.

Team Pakistan received recognition for Best Mission Control Centre Team, Best Flight Engineer and Outstanding Overall Coordination. The distinctions reflected performance across technical assignments, operational decision-making and teamwork during the event’s simulated space-mission activities.

The competition brought together participants from eight countries in a 48-hour habitat-expedition format. Teams carried out engineering tasks, mission-control work, scientific exercises and simulated emergency scenarios designed to test technical readiness, coordination and response under pressure.

Pakistan fielded an 11-member delegation comprising habitat crew, mission-control representatives, consulting experts and professional jury members. Ayesha Jamil, Fakhar Arooj, Alishba Tanveer, Maheera Fatima and Hafiz Muhammad Abdullah were part of the habitat crew, while Syeda Maryam Murtaza and Humail Amir Nawaz represented the mission-control side.

Mohammad Daniyal Hasnain and Talha Zubair served as consulting experts, while Dr Rehan Mahmood and Engr Maheen Zulfiqar participated as professional jury members. Dr Mahmood, who leads the Space Systems and Technology Research Lab at the Institute of Space Technology, was the national coordinator and head of the Pakistani delegation.

The awards come after months of technical preparation and training ahead of the Moscow event. Beyond the competition results, participation gave the Pakistani team exposure to international collaboration and practical work in engineering, mission operations and simulated space exploration. Such programmes do not amount to a space mission, but they can help students and early-career professionals build skills relevant to future research, engineering and operations work.