IIT Delhi Hosts Stellar Dialogue with Astronauts from India, USA, and UAE
IIT Delhi hosted a stellar dialogue featuring astronauts from India, the USA, and the UAE, bringing together global space pioneers to inspire and engage with the next generation of innovators.
IIT Delhi Hosts Stellar Dialogue with Astronauts from India, USA, and UAE
Walking Among the Stars: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi turned into a hub of inspiration and exploration as it hosted Walking Among the Stars: An Interaction with Astronauts, an event that brought together astronauts from India and abroad. The panel featured Sirisha Bandla (USA/India), a commercial astronaut from Virgin Galactic’s Unity 22 mission; Angad Pratap (India), one of ISRO’s selected astronauts for the upcoming Gaganyaan mission; and Hazzaa Al Mansoori (UAE), the first Emirati astronaut and a veteran of the International Space Station.
Upon arriving at IIT Delhi, the astronauts were welcomed by Prof. Rangan Banerjee, Director of the institute. They later visited the Intelligent Robotic Teammate Lab at the Research & Innovation Park. There, they interacted with students and researchers working on cutting-edge advancements in language-guided autonomous manipulation, planning and reasoning, and human-machine interaction.
A key highlight of the event was an engaging panel discussion featuring the astronauts, moderated by Prof. Awanish Pandey from the Optics and Photonics Centre at IIT Delhi. The conversation explored a wide range of topics, from conducting scientific experiments in orbit, such as studying gene expression in plants for climate resilience, to the potential of 3D printing human tissues in microgravity.
Sirisha Bandla highlighted the role of suborbital flights in accelerating scientific discovery, while Hazzaa Al Mansoori reflected on the profound experience of viewing Earth from the Cupola aboard the ISS, remarking, “You see no borders—just one planet.” Hazzaa Al Mansoori emphasised resilience: “Mental fitness matters more than physical. You can train your body. But handling uncertainty—that’s where astronauts are made.”
National Space Hackathon 2025 Awards
The day also celebrates innovation on Earth with the National Space Hackathon 2025 awards, jointly organised by IIT Delhi and ISRO. Attracting over 5,100 student registrations, the hackathon showcased India’s emerging talent in addressing real-world aerospace challenges.
The winners were felicitated by Prof. Narayanan Kurur, Dean of Academics at IIT Delhi; Sudeesh Balan, Director of the Crew Training Simulators Group, Human Space Flight Centre; and the distinguished astronaut panel.
According to media reports, 50 students received domestic offers with package more than INR 1 crore per annum during IIT Delhi placements 2023. Further, the highest international package offered during IIT Delhi placements 2023 stood at INR 2.5 crore per annum. The highest domestic and international package offered during IIT Delhi placements 2023 and 2022 are presented below:
Particulars |
Placement Statistics (2022) |
Placement Statistics (2023) |
|---|---|---|
Highest domestic package |
INR 1.25 crore per annum |
INR 1 crore per annum |
Highest international package |
INR 2 crore per annum |
INR 2.5 crore per annum |
As per the latest media report, a total of 1,050 offers were made (including PPOs) during Phase I IIT Delhi placements 2024. Further, a total of 1,000 students were uniquely selected during IIT Delhi placement 2024 (phase 1). Talking about the MTech placements at IIT Delhi, a fluctuating trend was witnessed in the median package offered during PG 2-year placements, which is presented below:
| Particulars | Statistics (2023) | Statistics (2022) | Statistics (2021) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Salary | INR 14 lakh | INR 12.5 lakh | INR 15 lakh |
Source: NIRF Report 2024
Team Galactic Hackers from Techno Main Salt Lake, West Bengal, clinched the first prize. Team Monospace from Ramrao Adik Institute of Technology, Maharashtra, secured second place, while Team Icybee from Dwarkadas J. Sanghvi College of Engineering, Maharashtra, was awarded third.
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A total of 1,200 offers were made and 1,150 students were placed during the Phase 1 of IIT Delhi placements 2025. Further, more than 50 international offers were made during IIT Delhi Phase 1 placements 2024-25.
According to Engineering NIRF report 2024, the median package offered during BTech placements 2023, 2022 and 2021 stood at INR 20 LPA, INR 20.5 LPA and INR 17.6 LPA, respectively.
According to unofficial sources, the placement rate recorded during IIT Delhi BTech placements 2023 was 90.01%.