The Lakshya rocket, a creation of the talented students from R.V. College of Engineering (RVCE), has achieved a significant milestone by winning the IN-SPACe Model Rocketry Competition. This esteemed event, part of the broader IN-SPACe Model Rocketry and CANSAT India Student Competition for the 2024–25 season, was recently held in Tamkuhiraj, Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh.
Representing RVCE, Team Antariksh, which includes eight students and two faculty advisors, triumphed over 31 other competing teams to claim the top prize. The competition challenged participants to design, build, and launch a model rocket capable of carrying a CAN-Size Satellite weighing one kilogram to a height of 1,000 meters. Additionally, the task required the safe ejection and landing of both the CANSAT and the rocket itself.
Professor Ravindra S. Kulkarni, who leads the Department of Aerospace Engineering at RVCE, expressed immense pride in the team's impeccable performance. "The team dedicated over a year to preparation, and the launch was executed flawlessly. They achieved the one-kilometer apogee and successfully recovered both the rocket and satellite," he remarked.
In addition to launching the rocket, the students also developed their own CANSAT for the mission. Prof. Kulkarni noted that the launch sequence closely resembled that of a typical spaceport launch, offering the students invaluable practical experience.
Competition Highlights
Set against the scenic backdrop of the Narayani River, the competition attracted 67 student teams from across the country, with 31 teams competing in the Model Rocketry category and 36 in the CANSAT category. Over the course of four days, a total of 37 successful launches were conducted - 13 in Model Rocketry and 24 in CANSAT.
The projects were evaluated by a panel of distinguished scientists from ISRO and IN-SPACe, who judged them based on technical accuracy and innovation. Siddharth Satish, a member of Team Antariksh, emphasized that more than 30 students contributed to the project, with the rocket and CANSAT being entirely designed and manufactured in-house.
The success of RVCE's Team Antariksh not only highlights the technical expertise of its students but also demonstrates the potential of young innovators in pushing the boundaries of aerospace technology.