National finale to be held on the banks of the Narayani River, Kushinagar, from October 27–30, 2025 — bringing together India’s brightest student innovators in a celebration of space science and engineering.
NFAPost, Bengaluru: In a significant push to nurture India’s next generation of space innovators, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe), in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Astronautical Society of India (ASI), has announced the grand finale of the Model Rocketry/CANSAT India Student Competition 2024–25. The event is set to take place from October 27 to 30, 2025, on the serene banks of the Narayani River in Tamkuhi Raj, Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh.
The competition offers students a rare, hands-on opportunity to design, develop, and launch model rockets capable of deploying a 1-kg CANSAT (7U satellite) to an altitude of 1 kilometre, mimicking the challenges of real-world space missions. The initiative aims to spark scientific curiosity, foster engineering excellence, and build foundational skills for careers in India’s rapidly expanding space sector.
A total of 71 student teams — representing more than 600 students, faculty members, and mentors from universities and technical institutes across India — have qualified for the national finale. The event will feature 36 teams in the CANSAT category and 35 in Model Rocketry, making it one of the largest student-led space competitions ever hosted in the country.
“It is an honour to host the CANSAT Model Rocket Competition in the Tamkuhi Raj area of Deoria Lok Sabha in Kushinagar District,” said Shri Shashank Mani, Hon’ble Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha), Deoria. “This competition will excite the imagination of the region and seed a culture of space awareness. It aligns perfectly with Amrit Prayas, our 10-year developmental strategy for the Lok Sabha, which seeks to harness space technology for regional growth.”
The road to Kushinagar has already been paved with extensive student outreach. IN-SPACe and ISRO, in partnership with the Namaskar Foundation, rolled out nationwide engagement programs — including the ‘Art-in-Space’ and ‘Space Quiz 20:20’ contests — across seven districts of Uttar Pradesh: Gorakhpur, Deoria, Kushinagar, Jaunpur, Bahraich, Bulandshahr, and Gautam Buddha Nagar. These initiatives witnessed an overwhelming response from over 73,000 students, reflecting a groundswell of enthusiasm for India’s space journey.
Complementing this outreach is the “Antariksh Rath”, a mobile science exhibition van equipped with rockets, satellite models, astronaut suits, and interactive educational exhibits, designed to bring the wonders of space directly to schoolchildren. Winners from these contests will be felicitated at the Kushinagar finale and will also experience an immersive space habitat module at the event venue.
“This competition reflects IN-SPACe’s commitment to fueling experiential learning and early engagement with space technology,” said Dr. Vinod Kumar, Director, Promotion Directorate, IN-SPACe, and Executive Secretary, ASI. “By giving students real-world challenges to solve, we are laying the foundation for India’s future scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs who will contribute meaningfully to our growing space economy. The support from the Uttar Pradesh government and the Kushinagar district administration has been instrumental in making this event possible.”
The competition’s mission objectives revolve around building a model rocket and a CANSAT capable of carrying, ejecting, and safely recovering a 1-kg payload from a 1-km altitude. Beyond the technical challenge, the competition emphasizes teamwork, project management, and problem-solving — skills essential to real mission environments at ISRO and in the private space sector.
With India’s space economy projected to reach $44 billion by 2033, IN-SPACe’s Model Rocketry/CANSAT India Student Competition 2024–25 stands as a timely and transformative initiative — one that blends innovation, education, and national aspiration.
As the countdown to October 27 begins, the banks of the Narayani River are set to echo with the sound of young minds reaching for the stars.
