International Collaboration Towards Cambodia’s First Small Satellite Education Program: Lessons Learnt

Since 2019, students from the University of Tokyo (UTokyo) and the Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC) have collaborated to set up Cambodia’s first small satellite education program. Around 30 students from both institutions have organized and taken part in joint educational activities, articulated around the development of a 1U CubeSat, which is planned to become Cambodia’s first satellite. This paper presents lessons learnt so far during the cooperative education program. We first explain how students have led the collaboration between a mentor (UTokyo) and mentee (ITC) institution in different countries, mostly online due to the pandemic. We then provide transferable lessons on how to create a small satellite education program in a resource-scarce environment, based on the development of CubeSat training at the ITC. Finally, we present ongoing methods at the ITC to cultivate a supporting ecosystem for the new satellite education program. It is hoped that this paper will provide a useful reference point for other actors building a new and sustainable satellite education program with limited resources.