Having grown up in one of the poorest and most conservative regions in Kyrgyzstan, 17-year-old Begaiym Isaakova never imagined she would work in tech, let alone be part of a team of young women building the country’s first spacecraft.

By age 15, Isaakova was shocked to see her peers in Jalal-Abad being married off, but not too surprised. The message that girls should prioritise knowing how to serve men started early and was everywhere, including in schools and homes.

Instead of being sent down the aisle in a country where early and forced marriage – including by bride kidnap – is common, Isaakova was sent to Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, to finish high school.

She had planned to study the arts in university until she discovered the Kyrgyz Space Program – a group of 10 women aged 17 to 25 who are aiming to reach the stars by building and launching a satellite into space by 2021.