GORAKHPUR, Oct. 28 -- There was much excitement on the banks of Narayani river near Jungle Patti village in Kushinagar district when four-day national-level Model Rocketry/CANSAT India Student Competition 2024-25 got underway there on Monday. A total of 71 student teams, including around 600 students and 120 mentors, from over 700 universities and technical colleges from across India are taking part in the event aimed at promoting learning in space science among students. The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe)-an independent nodal agency under the department of space - in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Astronomical Society of India (ASI) is conducting the competition under PM Narendra Modi's Viksit Bharat vision. On the occasion, four student teams launched model rockets weighing around 1 kg each and capable of deploying miniature satellites (CANSATs) at an altitude of 1 km and thereby simulated real-world space missions in 20 minutes. These teams were from Belur Institute of Technology, Tamil Nadu; Indian Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai; MIT Art & Design Technology, Pune, and Vidya Jyoti Institute of Technology, Telangana. Speaking on the day's success, Dr Vinod Kumar, director, Promotion Directorate, IN-SPACe, said, "This competition reflects IN-SPACe's commitment to fuelling experiential learning and encouraging early student engagement with space technology." "On the first day of the competition, 10 launches were scheduled, but due to technical issues, only four could be completed. The remaining six will be carried out later," he added. Abhishek Singh, a scientist at Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), said: "The trial launches were conducted to test the suitability of the launch site and assess critical parameters such as safety margins, communication range and area-recovery conditions." The landing of the space lab and the rapid sequence of rocket launches created a vibrant atmosphere along the riverbank, drawing large crowds of locals and students who eagerly recorded the spectacle on their phones....