Viasat Inc., a global leader in satellite communications, on Oct 21 announced the six finalists competing in the grand finals of the second annual Viasat: Space for Good India Challenge 2026. Organized in strategic partnership with the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe), the flagship STEM competition brings together exceptional university talent from across India. The grand finale of the Viasat: Space for Good India Challenge 2026 will take place in New Delhi on 27th October 2026.
From AI-powered orbital debris avoidance and satellite-enabled disaster warning networks to crop health monitoring from space and emergency communications platforms designed for natural disasters, the finalists’ concepts showcase the transformative potential of innovation and are among the solutions that will be evaluated during the upcoming Viasat: Space for Good India Challenge finals.
The six finalists are Aryan Gupta, Pre-final year Mechanical Engineering student at IIT Roorkee; Adeetya Uppal, Fourth-year Aerospace Engineering Dual Degree (B.Tech + M.Tech) student at IIT Kharagpur Nived Krishna, PhD student in Computer Science at IIT Kharagpur; Parth Bhagwat Kharat, Third-year Computer Engineering student at Dr. D. Y. Patil Institute of Technology, Pune, and an AI/agentic engineering intern at SGRAMX; Shashank Kumar Singh, PhD researcher in Biological Sciences and Engineering at IIT Gandhinagar (Computational Biology Laboratory); Tanatswa Manjeya, Final-year Electrical and Electronics Engineering student at Aditya University.
These six finalists are competing for a total prize pool of ₹11,50,000 (including ₹5,00,000 for first place, ₹3,75,000 for second, and ₹2,75,000 for third), alongside mentorship from Viasat industry experts.
Meet the finalists: https://www.viasat.com/perspectives/corporate/2026/meet-six-finalists-competing-2026-viasat-space-for-good-india-challenge/
Gautam Sharma, Managing Director at Viasat India said, “India’s universities are producing extraordinary talent at a time when the nation is becoming a global force in technology, innovation, and space. Viasat: Space for Good is built on a simple belief: connectivity becomes capability when it is placed in the hands of people who are determined to solve meaningful problems. Through this program we are providing students access to technology, mentorship and real industry engagement, helping transform ideas into solutions that can improve lives. Just as importantly, we are bringing together universities, government organizations, industry partners and communities, because no single organization solves global challenges alone. These finalists are proving that the next generation of leaders in STEM and space innovation is already shaping India’s future today.”
