ISRO Hosts NE Students to Nurture Space Dreams Under NE-SPARKS

Nellore: In a continued effort to spark scientific curiosity among young minds from the North East, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), in collaboration with the North Eastern Council (NEC) and the respective state governments, recently hosted the second and third batches of students under its NE-SPARKS (North East Students’ Programme for Awareness, Reach, and Knowledge on Space) initiative.

The NE-SPARKS programme was launched following the directives of Union home minister and NESAC society president Amit Shah during the 12th meeting of the NESAC Society. It aims to provide school students from the eight North Eastern states with first-hand exposure to India’s cutting-edge advancements in space technology and to motivate them to pursue careers in science and innovation.

A total of 800 students—100 from each of the eight North Eastern states—will be hosted across eight batches at key ISRO facilities in Bengaluru. The second and third batches visited ISRO centres on June 26–27 and July 24–25, 2025, respectively.

During their two-day itinerary, the students visited premier ISRO facilities such as the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) and the Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN), where they interacted with senior scientists and learned about deep space communication and mission operations.

On the second day, the students were taken to the U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), where they gained insight into satellite integration and testing. The visit concluded with a screening at the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium, where students watched an immersive film on the Gaganyaan Mission, offering a glimpse into India’s Human Spaceflight Programme.

The NE-SPARKS initiative continues to bridge the distance between remote regions and India’s national scientific institutions, fostering a new generation of space scientists and technologists from the North East.