IN-SPACe, ISRO & Astronautical Society to host rocketry competition from Oct 27

The competition is aimed at providing students with practical exposure to the fundamentals of rocketry and satellite systems. Each team is required to design, develop, and launch a model rocket capable of deploying a CANSAT (7U SAT) weighing one kilogram at an altitude of one kilometre. The mission also involves ensuring safe payload ejection, recovery, and landing. Through this process, students are expected to gain a deeper understanding of payload design, aerodynamics, and mission management, while also developing key skills such as teamwork, coordination, and problem-solving.

Ahead of the national finale, IN-SPACe and ISRO conducted several outreach activities across seven districts of Uttar Pradesh – Gorakhpur, Deoria, Kushinagar, Jaunpur, Bahraich, Bulandshahr, and Gautam Buddha Nagar — to promote interest in space and science education.

These initiatives, according to the organiser, included the ‘Art-in-Space’ and ‘Space Quiz 20:20’ contests, which together saw participation from nearly 73,000 students, according to IN-SPACe. The outreach was carried out in partnership with the Namaskar Foundation. Winners from these regional events will be honoured during the grand finale and will also get to experience an immersive space habitat module at the venue.

As part of the same campaign, an ‘Antariksh Rath’ – a mobile science exhibition equipped with rockets, satellite models, astronaut suits, and interactive learning tools — is visiting schools across the participating districts to engage students and encourage scientific curiosity.

Encouraging experiential learning in space technology

The competition has been developed under the Promotion Directorate of IN-SPACe, which focuses on student engagement, innovation, and capacity building in the space sector. The event is part of IN-SPACe’s broader initiative to strengthen India’s space education ecosystem and promote skill development aligned with the national target of building a $44 billion space economy by 2033.

According to Dr Vinod Kumar, Director, Promotion Directorate at IN-SPACe and Executive Secretary of ASI, the competition reflects the organisation’s commitment to experiential learning in science and engineering. He said that by engaging students directly with real-world challenges in model rocketry and satellite deployment, the initiative aims to prepare the next generation of scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs for India’s growing space industry.

The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) was established in June 2020 as an autonomous nodal agency under the Department of Space (DoS). It serves as a single-window body for promoting, enabling, authorising, and supervising the participation of non-governmental entities (NGEs) in various space activities. These include the development of launch vehicles and satellites, providing space-based services, sharing ISRO infrastructure, and establishing new facilities.

IN-SPACe functions through three key directorates — Promotion Directorate (PD), Technical Directorate (TD), and Program Management & Authorization Directorate (PMAD) — along with its Administration, Finance, and Legal Wing.

The Model Rocketry/CANSAT India Student Competition 2024–25 marks another step in IN-SPACe’s ongoing efforts to integrate education, technology, and innovation at the grassroots level, supporting India’s long-term goal of fostering a globally competitive space ecosystem.