ISRO launches quiz, startup contest for National Space Day

The Department of Space will conduct a space quiz for high-school students in Bengaluru, as well as a startup pitch competition for engineering students in Karnataka.

National Space Day celebrations to inspire students will be carried out across the country.

NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), a nodal agency of ISRO, will be conducting two student events in Karnataka as part of National Space Day celebrations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared August 23, 2024 as its maiden edition as tribute to Chandrayaan-3, and the NSIL’s contests — a space quiz for high-schoolers, a startup pitching contest for colleges — are slated as early as August 2. Both events will be held at the ISRO Headquarters in Bengaluru, with registration forms available on the @NSIL_India account on X:

Join National Space Day’24 celebrations at @isro with space quiz(for high school students) & start-up pitch competition(for engineering students).Register by July 29
Schools https://t.co/WZPDT9mNl9
Colleges https://t.co/Pci8JCkbgn
RSVP: nspd2024@nsilindia.co.in for more details pic.twitter.com/X7zANMpeE6

— NSIL (@NSIL_India) July 25, 2024

The signup deadline for both events is July 29.

The National Space Day theme for 2024 is “Touching Lives while Touching the Moon: India’s Space Saga.” To inspire youngsters to explore space technology and its applications, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked colleges across India to organise events around this topic.

Also See | Express News Quiz: On Chandrayaan-3, space & other astro adventures

As per the UGC notification, “The celebrations will initially begin with one-day conference/workshop/exhibition, known as the Space Ideathon in universities/colleges to foster innovative ideas. Additionally, the Department of Space is organising the Bhartiya Antriksh Hackathon, ISRO Robotics Challenge, and zonal-level events showcasing the achievements of Chandrayaan-3’s successful lunar landing. This will be followed by pre-event functions on the August 22 and August 23 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.”

Bolstering outreach, ISRO Chairman Dr S Somanath will be going Live on Instagram on Saturday, August 3 (6pm) to answer select audience questions. The Ministry of Education has encouraged those curious about India’s space programme to make the most of this opportunity and reach out with their queries.

Have questions about India’s space 🚀 program? Here’s your chance to have them answered by Dr. S. Somanath, Chairman, @isro! Send your queries using #asksomanathisro to participate. Selected questions will be addressed by Dr. Somanath on 3 August 2024, 6 to 7 PM. Don’t miss this… pic.twitter.com/Xpp0NI1Jlq

— Ministry of Education (@EduMinOfIndia) July 25, 2024

ISRO and MyGov have previously organised a Chandrayaan-3 ‘MahaQuiz’ to celebrate the spacecraft’s soft landing on the lunar south pole. It saw the participation of over eight lakh players, with a total prize pool of Rs 6,25,000.