Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Mar 12 : Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, and MoS in the Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh today informed the Rajya Sabha that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched a series of structured initiatives to actively involve students and young researchers in satellite development, payload experiments, and space missions.
Replying to a question asked by Sumitra Balmik in the Rajya Sabha, Dr. Jitendra Singh said that the Government is committed to democratizing access to space technology and ensuring that students from across the country, including tier-2 and tier-3 institutions, get opportunities to contribute to India’s rapidly expanding space ecosystem.
The Minister said that ISRO has instituted dedicated programmes that allow student researchers to work on real space technology projects, including satellite design, payload development, and mission experiments. Under the Student Satellite Programme led by the U R Rao Satellite Centre, academic institutions and student teams are encouraged to design and develop satellites with technical mentoring from ISRO scientists. These student-built satellites also receive integration support and launch opportunities through ISRO missions.
Dr. Jitendra Singh further noted that internship and project trainee schemes are available for undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral students from recognised institutions across the country. These programmes provide hands-on research exposure at ISRO centres, enabling young researchers to work directly with advanced space technologies.
To further expand academic participation, Space Technology Incubation Centres (STICs) have been established across different regions of the country. These centres facilitate collaborative research between universities and ISRO scientists and help students develop indigenous space technologies under expert mentorship.
The Minister also highlighted the role of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) in promoting student engagement in the space sector. IN-SPACe has organised student competitions focused on designing and developing CAN-sized satellites and model rockets, in which 97 student teams comprising nearly 850 students have participated.
Dr. Jitendra Singh informed the House that IN-SPACe has authorised 17 student satellites and payloads so far, of which 11 have already been successfully launched. These missions have involved institutions from across the country including Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Indian Institute of Space Science & Technology, RV College of Engineering, Amity University Maharashtra, MIT World Peace University, Assam Don Bosco University, CV Raman Global University, and several other academic institutions, reflecting the growing national participation in student-led space missions.
Highlighting the growing enthusiasm among students, Dr. Jitendra Singh said that Model Rocketry and CanSat India Student Competition was jointly organised by IN-SPACe, ISRO and the Astronautical Society of India (ASI) in October 2025 at Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, where 67 teams comprising nearly 500 students designed, fabricated, and launched model rockets carrying CanSat payloads up to an altitude of about 1 kilometre.
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