Mach24 Orbitals: Engineering Nepal's Path to Orbit

Mohan Tamang

How Nepal Can Build a Commercial Space Industry for the Asia-Pacific Region

Space technology in Nepal has long been viewed as an aspiration rather than an industry. In a country where placing even a one-kilogram satellite into orbit is considered a monumental achievement, the idea of building a commercial rocket company capable of developing advanced propulsion systems and launch vehicles has often seemed beyond imagination.

I believe that narrative is ready to change.  When I founded Mach24 Orbitals in 2024, it was never simply about building a rocket. My vision was much larger, to build the technological foundation of Nepal's commercial space industry and position our country as a meaningful contributor to the rapidly expanding trillion dollar global space economy.

Mach24 Orbitals is developing Nepal's first commercial launch vehicle with the goal of providing affordable, reliable, and responsive access to space for the growing small satellite market across the Asia-Pacific region. But more importantly, we are proving that world-class aerospace innovation can emerge from Nepal as well.

From Vision to Reality

The global space economy is entering one of the most transformative periods in history. Over the next decade, tens of thousands of satellites are expected to be launched to support communications, Earth observation, navigation, climate monitoring, agriculture, disaster management, defense, and scientific research. Satellite manufacturing is becoming increasingly accessible, but launch capacity remains one of the industry's greatest bottlenecks. This imbalance creates an enormous opportunity. I founded Mach24 Orbitals to help solve this challenge by developing a next-generation launch vehicle powered by liquid oxygen and paraffin-based hybrid propulsion, capable of placing payloads of up to 500 kilograms into Low Earth Orbit. Our objective is to provide dedicated launch services that offer customers greater flexibility, shorter wait times, and mission-specific orbital access.

While our technology is ambitious, our progress has been grounded in execution. Within a relatively short period, Mach24 Orbitals has been selected for incubation at IIT Madras Research Park, one of Asia's leading deep-tech innovation ecosystems. We have also joined the NVIDIA Inception Program, becoming part of a global community of AI and advanced technology startups. Through collaborations with international aerospace organizations, universities, and technology partners across the Asia-Pacific region, we have begun building the global relationships necessary for long-term success.

Perhaps most encouragingly, we have secured international customer agreements valued at approximately USD 8 million, demonstrating that confidence in Nepal's engineering capabilities is no longer theoretical, it is becoming commercial reality. These milestones are not endpoints. They are early indicators that Nepal can compete in one of the world's most technologically demanding industries.

A Founder Driven by Purpose

My journey into space began long before Mach24 Orbitals. A visit to Japan back in 2014 changed everything.  Seeing a country reaching out to a distant Astroroid and a rocket launch up close made me realize one thing- “I want to dedicate my life to space”. For more than a decade, I have believed that Nepal possesses the talent, determination, and creativity to become a meaningful contributor to the global aerospace industry.

That belief led me to initiate and lead Project GARUDA, Nepal's first student-built international award winning sounding rocket program in 2021. The project represented far more than a technical milestone. It demonstrated that complex aerospace systems could be designed and built by Nepali students and engineers, inspiring a new generation to pursue careers in science, engineering, and innovation. My commitment to building Nepal's space ecosystem continued through my work at the National Innovation Center, where I had the opportunity to work closely with Dr. Mahabir Pun to advance indigenous space technology development. Those experiences strengthened my conviction that education alone would not be enough. Nepal also needed companies capable of transforming research into commercially viable technologies.

That realization ultimately led to the creation of Mach24 Orbitals. Today, the startup is supported by the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) as we continue advancing indigenous launch technologies and building the country's first commercial launch vehicle program.

In 2025, I was deeply honored to receive the Emerging Space Leader Award from the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) in Sydney, Australia. While this recognition is personally meaningful, I see it primarily as recognition of Nepal's growing presence within the international space community. For me, Mach24 Orbitals represents something much larger than a startup. It is the realization of a vision that has taken years to build—a future where Nepali engineers can design, manufacture, and launch technologies that contribute to humanity's exploration and utilization of space.

Why Space Matters for Nepal?

People often ask me why Nepal should invest in space technology when the country faces so many immediate development challenges.

My answer is simple: We are a billion dollar opportunity in a trillion  dollar industry. Hence, space technology is not a luxury, it is an economic multiplier.

Every major spacefaring nation has experienced benefits that extend far beyond rockets and satellites. Investments in space drive innovation in advanced manufacturing, electronics, artificial intelligence, robotics, precision engineering, telecommunications, materials science, software development, and high-performance computing. These technologies eventually find applications across nearly every sector of the economy. For Nepal, the opportunities are even greater. Nepal can build companies that create high-value jobs in research and development, manufacturing, systems engineering, software, electronics, and advanced production. These industries generate knowledge, intellectual property, and exportable technologies that contribute to long-term economic resilience. I believe the future economy will increasingly be built on knowledge-intensive industries rather than low-cost labor. Space technology sits at the intersection of many of these emerging sectors. For Nepal, participating in the global space economy is not about prestige, it is about competitiveness.

Building a deep-tech company in Nepal is not easy. We operate in an environment with limited aerospace infrastructure, an evolving regulatory framework, no mature space supply chain, and very little historical experience in launch vehicle development. Yet I have never viewed these limitations as reasons not to begin. Instead, they represent an opportunity to build an entirely new industry from the ground up. Over the past several years, our team has successfully developed and tested Nepal's first indigenous hybrid rocket propulsion technology with support from NAST. Every engine test, subsystem validation, and design iteration brings us closer to achieving reliable orbital launch capability. More importantly, each milestone contributes to building institutional knowledge that future generations of Nepali engineers can build upon.

Although launch vehicles are at the heart of our mission, Mach24 Orbitals is ultimately building something much broader. A successful space industry requires expertise in propulsion, avionics, flight software, guidance and navigation, composite structures, electronics, manufacturing, testing, systems engineering, mission operations, and satellite integration. These capabilities have applications far beyond launch vehicles alone. My long-term vision is to help establish an integrated space ecosystem that supports satellite development, Earth observation, communications, research missions, university payloads, commercial applications, and advanced manufacturing across the Asia-Pacific region. I believe Nepal has the opportunity not only to launch satellites, but also to become a developer of space technologies that create value across multiple industries.

Looking Ahead

The road to orbit is among the most difficult engineering challenges humanity has ever undertaken. It demands years of research, relentless testing, exceptional talent, patient capital, and unwavering perseverance. Success will not be defined by a single launch. It will be measured by our ability to consistently build technologies, infrastructure, partnerships, and human capital that can sustain a globally competitive aerospace enterprise. For Nepal, the implications extend far beyond space. A thriving space sector can catalyze advanced manufacturing, strengthen research and development, attract international investment, generate high-value exports, and inspire an entire generation of scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs. That is the future I am working toward.

Mach24 Orbitals is more than a company. It is a long-term commitment to proving that innovation is not limited by geography, and that Nepal can become an active participant in one of the world's most important technological frontiers. Every engine we test, every partnership we build, and every milestone we achieve brings us one step closer to engineering Nepal's path to orbit and, in doing so, helping build a more innovative, knowledge-driven, and globally competitive nation.