Uzbekistan has begun developing its first 6U national scientific satellite, named Mirzo Ulugbek, with a planned launch in 2028, Qazinform News Agency reported on Tuesday.
Authorities are forming an engineering corps and training specialists for the project, while parallel preparations are underway to send the country’s first national astronaut on a 10–14 day mission.
Proposed research during the mission includes medical and biological experiments such as remote diagnostics and testing local medicinal extracts. Scientists also plan to study plant genetics, focusing on drought- and salt-resistant crops, as well as model closed agro-biosystems and test heat-absorbing and dissipating materials.
Uzbekistan is also considering hosting the International Astronautical Congress in Samarkand in 2028, with space agencies from the United States, Europe, China, India and Russia expressing interest.
The announcement follows recent regional space activity, including the successful launch of a weather satellite aboard a Proton-M rocket from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome.
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