ISRO Will Teach 100 School Kids To Build Satellites In Summer, And Launch Them In Space

Earlier in January, the Indian Space Research Organisation announced a new programme to train young scientists in the country.

Now, the space agency is about to announce the lucky selected candidates that will receive first-hand training in satellite-building.

The Yuva Vigyani Karyakram (YUVIKA) will offer a merit list of about 100 selected Class 9 students the chance to obtain practical experience building satellites. The aim, ISRO Chairman K Sivan says, is to instill a sense of wonder and interest in space among young minds, in order to encourage budding astronomers towards the future of India's space industry.

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"We want them to get a practical experience of building a small satellite," Sivan said back in January. "If the satellites are good, we want them to fly."

It'll be a residential training program, with the chosen students living at ISRO camps in Thiruvananthapuram and Bengaluru for two weeks during the summer vacations, as well as visiting the launch site at Sriharikota . The current effort is to finalise a selection of three students from each state and union territory to participate, across all school boards.

The students will be selected based on their academic performance and extracurricular activities, though aspiring scientists from rural areas will be given special preference.