ISRO hosts 100 northeast students, showcasing India's space ambitions

A delegation of 100 students from all eight northeastern states visited key Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) centres in Bengaluru on June 26 and 27, under the North East Students' Programme for Awareness, Reach, and Knowledge on Space (NE-SPARKS), an initiative supported by the North Eastern Council.

The students toured ISRO’s Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) on the first day, followed by a visit to the U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) and the Satellite Integration and Test Establishment (ISITE) on the second day. These visits offered participants a rare behind-the-scenes look at India’s space missions, including systems used for satellite tracking, spacecraft integration, and real-time mission operations.

Students also viewed exclusive visuals from the Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission and explored a space exhibition featuring scaled satellite models and detailed displays on space systems and technologies.

The two-day tour is part of a broader programme aimed at building scientific curiosity among school students from the northeast by exposing them to real-world applications of space science and technology. A total of 800 students, 100 from each northeastern state, are set to benefit from the initiative. This was the second such visit organised under the NE-SPARKS programme.

ISRO officials engaged directly with students through guided tours and interactive sessions, answering questions and explaining the engineering behind India’s space achievements. Organisers said the exposure is intended to inspire future careers in STEM fields, particularly space research and aerospace engineering.

Future student batches will be coordinated with the support of state governments and educational institutions to expand reach and participation.