Alina Anisimova (born 1999) is a social and feminist activist, [1] student and programmer from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Between 2018 and 2021 Anisimova was involved in coaching a team of nine [2] young women engineers in the Kyrgyz Space Programme [3] in a project to design and construct a CubeSat satellite, that will be launched into space. [4] In 2018, the BBC selected Anisimova as one of the 100 most influential women in the world. [5] [6] In July 2021, Anisimova resigned from coaching the women of the Kyrgyz Space Programme. [7]
The Kyrgyz Space Programme was started in March 2018 and consists of a team of nine women students, aged between 17 and 25, that was coached by Anisimova at the start of the project. [8] Anisimova is a true hacker, who began to teach herself about computers when she was aged six, by taking apart computer equipment and later following online tutorials. [8] The idea for the Kyrgyz Space Programme came from a chance meeting between Alexander MacDonald, a NASA economist who runs the NASA's Emerging Space initiative [3] and a newspaper publisher, Bektour Iskender, who created Kloop, that is known for promoting LGBTQ and women rights in Kyrgyzstan. [8] MacDonald suggested to Klopp, the idea of designing a cubesat in Kyrgyzstan. [8] She left the project in 2021.