What is the Bharatiya Antariksh Hackathon?
The Bharatiya Antariksh Hackathon is a national innovation competition launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Now in its third edition, this initiative invites the brightest student minds across the country to tackle genuine problems
in space technology, climate science, and artificial intelligence. It serves as a direct pipeline for student innovators to contribute to India's space-tech ecosystem. The hackathon is designed to crowdsource creative solutions for complex challenges, giving students a platform to apply their skills to missions of national importance. There are no registration or participation fees, making it accessible to all eligible students.
Why This Is a Major Opportunity
This is much more than just a competition. Participants get a rare opportunity to receive direct mentorship from ISRO scientists, researchers, and other domain experts. For students passionate about a career in aerospace, this is an invaluable chance to network and learn from the best in the field. Beyond the experience, participants may even be considered for prestigious internship opportunities directly with ISRO, allowing them to work on live space projects. For the teams that reach the grand finale, travel expenses for II AC train fares will be reimbursed, ensuring that talent from all corners of the country can attend. It’s a chance to gain national recognition and add a significant achievement to your profile.
The Challenges You Can Solve
ISRO has presented 15 specific problem statements that are both challenging and highly relevant. These aren't abstract puzzles; they are real issues that need innovative solutions. The themes cover a wide range of cutting-edge fields. Challenges include using AI and machine learning to mitigate urban heat islands, developing generative AI to remove clouds from satellite imagery, and creating an AI-powered digital twin of India's climate. Other problems involve analyzing data from the Chandrayaan-2 mission to find subsurface ice on the Moon, forecasting solar flares using data from Aditya-L1, and helping to detect exoplanets.
Are You Eligible to Participate?
The eligibility criteria are broad to encourage wide participation from India's student community. The competition is open to undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD research scholars currently enrolled in a recognised Indian institution. However, working professionals are not eligible to participate. Students must form teams of three to four members. In a move that fosters collaboration, ISRO allows teams to be formed with members from different colleges or universities.
Key Dates and How to Apply
The timeline is tight, which is why students need to act now. Registrations and the initial idea submissions, which opened on June 10, will close on July 1, 2026. This is a hard deadline. To apply, teams must register on the official Hack2skill event portal and submit a detailed conceptual proposal for the problem statement they choose to tackle. No physical prototype is needed at this stage. After the submission window closes, ISRO will announce the shortlisted teams on July 20, with the 30-hour grand finale scheduled for August 6 and 7.
