Mongolia's Steppe Skies and Satellite Signals
- Mihika Singhania
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
When you think of Mongolia, you probably imagine endless grasslands, (or Genghis Khan!) herders on horseback and a sky so wide it feels like the earth curves faster here. But beneath those same skies, Mongolia is quietly rebuilding something much bigger.
Mongolia's Steppe Skies and Satellite Signals
Mongolia's space-science movement that’s part history, part ambition, is entirely unexpected for a country of just three million.
The story begins at the Khurel Togoot Astronomical Observatory, a facility perched high on Bogd Khan Mountain overlooking Ulaanbaatar. It was established in 1957 during the International Geophysical Year, when global scientific collaboration drew even remote nations into conversations about the Sun, satellites and Earth’s magnetic field. Mongolia joined that momentum, installing telescopes to study solar activity, track satellites and map celestial positions. For a while, Khurel Togoot was one of the most active observatories in Asia.
But like many science institutions in the region, it hit a long pause after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Funding dried up, equipment aged and the observatory that once studied asteroids and variable stars slowly fell into silence. Mongolia’s aspirations went dormant, waiting for the next spark.
That moment arrived in 2017, when Mongolia launched its first ever satellite, Mazaalai, a CubeSat built by students at the National University of Mongolia as part of the BIRDS programme. For the first time, Mongolian engineers designed, tested and operated a satellite collecting data on atmospheric density and cosmic radiation.
The revival didn’t stop there. Khurel Togoot rejoined global observing networks and began tracking space debris, near-Earth objects and transient astronomical events. Local scientists upgraded equipment, collaborated with international partners and trained students who had grown up imagining satellites as something only large nations could build.
Then came the bigger leap. In 2024, Mongolia launched two more nano-satellites via SpaceX. These weren’t student experiments; they were part of a national push to build a space-tech sector capable of supporting communications, climate monitoring and disaster-response systems for Mongolia’s vast, sparsely populated terrain. The government even announced plans for a “space sandbox,” a framework designed to nurture aerospace start-ups, regulatory clarity and long-term research.
In a region where science often follows economic weight, Mongolia is proving that curiosity itself can be a national resource. And if the next generation of Mongolian scientists grows up looking at the same brilliant night sky their ancestors navigated by, the country’s space story is just beginning.
I hope you found today’s blog interesting and learned something new. Thank you for reading! Please stay curious and alert for new blogs on Asian scientific contributions and inventions.
-Mihika Singhania
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