Good News
IIT Kharagpur student wins ₹5 lakh Viasat Space for Good India Challenge for AI to dodge space debris
Adeetya Uppal's idea helps satellites detect threatening debris and plan avoidance moves in seconds.
In short
₹5 lakhprize to develop the innovation
- Winner: Adeetya Uppal, IIT Kharagpur
- 1st prize: ₹5 lakh; pool ₹11.5 lakh
- Runners-up: IIT Gandhinagar, IIT Roorkee
The win
Adeetya Uppal, a fourth-year aerospace dual-degree student at IIT Kharagpur from Navi Mumbai, was named winner of the 2026 Viasat: Space for Good India Challenge. His AI concept detects threatening space debris and plans satellite avoidance manoeuvres in seconds. The first prize is ₹5 lakh to develop the idea further.
The field
Shashank Kumar Singh of IIT Gandhinagar and Aryan Gupta of IIT Roorkee placed second and third. Six finalists were announced ahead of the final on 27 October, with a prize pool of ₹11.5 lakh. The challenge is a STEM innovation competition run by Viasat in partnership with India's space agency.
