The Department of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Technology, Nirma University, is immensely proud to announce that Team Arrow has emerged as the National Champion at the prestigious ISRO Robotics Challenge – URSC (IRoC-U) 2026, securing the First Position along with a grand cash prize of ₹10,00,000/-!
Organized by the U. R. Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), ISRO, in Bengaluru (July 21–23, 2026), the Grand Finale witnessed intense competition among the top 20 shortlisted teams selected out of 590 registered teams across the country. Competing alongside premier institutions like IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, NIT Calicut, and MANIT Bhopal, Team Arrow showcased exceptional innovation and technical rigor.
The prestigious award was conferred at the Space Applications Centre (SAC), ISRO, Ahmedabad, during the National Space Day celebrations on August 23, 2026.
🚀 The Mission: ASCEND (Autonomous Surveyor Challenge for Exploration, Navigation and Dynamics)
Tasked with developing an autonomous aerial robotic system for simulated extraterrestrial planetary exploration, the UAV had to flawlessly execute:
🔹 Autonomous takeoff and navigation in a GPS-denied environment
🔹 Vision-based marker identification
🔹 Precision landing on an autonomous charging dock
🔹 Automated battery recharging without human intervention
🔹 High-speed mission data transfer to the base station and seamless mission resumption
👥 Meet the Champions (Team Arrow):
Manav Patel (Captain) (24BCE090)
Kavya Kapadia (Vice Captain) (24BEC164)
Nishanth Banjan (Technical Lead) (24BTM022)
Akshar Ramani (Autonomous Lead) (24BEC168)
Rudra Navdiya (Avionics Lead) (24BEC124)
Devarshi Faliya (Design Analyst) (24BCL010)
Zarna Patel (GCS Operator) (25BEC195)
Kashyap Bhalala (Manufacturing) (25BME040)
Pratham Junnarkar (Mission & Navigation) (25BAM036)
Sahil Khudotiya (Vision & Communication) (25BEC212)
Kripal Patel (Autonomous Team) (25BEE080)
Dhyan Patel (Avionics Team) (25BEE038)
Shubham Pandya (Technical Team) (25BEC111)
👏 Guided by Faculty Mentors:
Dr. Absar Lakdawala & Dr. Dhaval Shah (Mechanical Engineering Department, School of Engineering, Institute of Technology).
Heartiest congratulations to the entire team and their mentors for bringing this monumental glory to Nirma University!
