National Institute of Technology Raipur

(An Institute of National Importance)

Centre of Space & Interplanetary Exploration (COSINE)

Established: December 2024

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About the Centre

The Centre of Space & Interplanetary Exploration (COSINE) at NIT Raipur was established in December 2024 as an interdisciplinary institutional initiative to advance education, research, innovation, and entrepreneurship in space science and space technologies. The Centre acts as a unifying platform to integrate expertise from engineering, technology, health sciences, Defence, artificial intelligence, material sciences, mining, electronics, earth and environmental science and allied domains to address challenges associated with space and interplanetary exploration.

COSINE aligns with India’s rapidly evolving space ecosystem led by ISRO, In-SPACe emerging private space-tech startups, and national missions under initiatives such as Make in India, Startup India, and Atmanirbhar Bharat. The Centre recognises that modern space exploration extends beyond spacecraft design to include astronaut health, robotics, autonomous systems, communication networks, Earth observation, planetary resource utilisation, space defence, and sustainability of outer space.

Focus Areas

  • Space Health & Bioastronautics: Human physiology, mental well-being, biomedical systems, and life-support technologies for space missions.
  • Robotics & Autonomous Systems: Space robotics, rover systems, UAVs, and AI-enabled autonomous platforms.
  • Satellite & Communication Systems: Small satellites, CubeSats, nanosatellites, and satellite-based communication and sensing.
  • Quantum Technological Networks: Quantum Computing, Quantum Communication and Relay Networks, Quantum Machine Learning and Quantum Cryptography.
  • Earth Observation & Climate Applications: Disaster monitoring, agriculture, climate change, and environmental sustainability.
  • Space Defence & Debris Management: Space science application in defence, Space situational awareness, debris mitigation, and secure space infrastructure.

Academic, Research, and Innovation Activities

  • Interdisciplinary research projects are mapped to national and global space challenges.
  • Workshops, FDPs, and STTPs in space technologies.
  • Student-led projects are being investigated on CubeSats, nanosatellites, UAV-based sensing, AI for space data, and astronomy-based applications.
  • Startup mentoring and innovation support are aligned with national entrepreneurship missions.
  • Organising National and international conferences, seminars, hackathons, expert lecture series and FDPs.

Activities and Engagements (Dec 2024 – Nov 2025)

Expert Talks and Interactive Sessions

  • Dr S. Somanath (Former Chairman, ISRO)
  • Dr Murthy Gudipati (NASA JPL)
  • Group Captain Ajit Krishnan (Gaganyaan Astronaut)
  • Prof. Nilesh J. Vasa (IIT Madras)
  • Ms Rajashree Bothale (ISRO Alumna)
  • Dr Anup Kumar Das - (Scientist – G), SAC (ISRO)
  • Dr Shyam Lal, Associate Professor, NIT Surathkal
  • Dr G. Satheesh Reddy, Ex-Chairman - DRDO
  • Dr Jaikumar V, Scientist 'H', DRDO
  • Dr Yogesh Pratap Singh (IIT Bhilai)

Collaborations and MoUs

  • Interaction and outreach with ISRO centres, alumni, and capacity-building divisions.

Projects and Initiatives

  • Ongoing Projects: 1) ISRO - IIRS on "Lunar Surface Mineralogical Analysis using Imaging Infra-Red Spectrometer Data" (Cost - INR 22,13,520, PI - Dr. Himanshu Govil), and 2) ISRO - SAC on "Quantum Memory Development" (Cost - INR 17,25,000 (Phase - 1), PI - Dr. Kapil Kumar Soni)
  • Faculty projects in the areas of space, quantum communication and satellite technologies.
  • Consultancy projects in the areas of Geospatial Technologies.
  • Formation of COSINE Student Teams for SpaceTech Innovations.
  • A Student Startup, registered under COSINE - NextORBIT, has received incubation under the NewGen IEDC (DST) scheme, amounting to approximately 2 lakhs.
  • CubeSat and nanosatellite project planning with ISRO payload opportunities.

Workshops, Outreach, and Infrastructure Planning

  • Engagements with EDUSAT programs (AI/ML, Mars studies, Smart Farming) since 2016.
  • Nodal Centre/ Host institute for Space Science and Technology Awareness Training (START) – 2025, 2026.
  • Hosted the NASA Space Apps Challenge 2025 event as a Nodal Centre for CG, India and national hackathons.

Governance and Team

Core Team

  • Prof S Sanyal – Professor (HAG) & Dean (Corporate Relations and Resource Mobilisation), and COSINE Mentor.
  • Dr Saurabh Gupta – Associate Professor (Biomedical Engineering), Nodal officer for IN-SPACe and Head COSINE.
  • Dr Himanshu Govil – Associate Professor (Applied Geology), Principal Investigator (ISRO Projects), Guest Editor: Advances in Space Research Journal and Geospatial Information Science.
  • Dr Ramya Selvaraj – Assistant Professor (Electrical Engineering).
  • Dr Kapil Kumar Soni – Assistant Professor (Information Technology), Principal Investigator (ISRO Projects), and Focal Point / SPOC for ISRO Academia Collaborative Projects (ISRO, DoS - India).

Future Outlook

COSINE aims to evolve into a nationally recognised interdisciplinary centre contributing to India’s space technology missions, deep-tech innovation, and global research collaborations. By integrating education, research, innovation, and outreach, the Centre aspires to create long-term impact for the nation and humanity through space exploration.