Team Icarus from the Indian Institute of Information Technology Dharwad (IIIT Dharwad) was described by the institute as finishing fourth among more than 1,300 teams in the 2026 ISRO Robotics Challenge. The official U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) results list the team under the award category Consolation Prize-1, while IIIT Dharwad’s announcement reports a prize of ₹2,00,000.
What IIIT Dharwad won
The most precise way to describe the result is to use both records. IIIT Dharwad’s institutional announcement says, “Team Icarus from IIIT Dharwad has secured 4th place at ISRO Robotics Challenge (IROC) 2026,” and places that finish among 1,300-plus participating teams. URSC’s official final-round results, dated 23 August 2026, do not label the team as a numbered fourth-place prize winner; they identify it as a Consolation Prize-1 awardee.
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IIIT Dharwad’s announcement also states that Team Icarus received ₹2,00,000. That amount is attributed to the institute because the URSC results document confirms the award category but does not state a prize amount in the published text.
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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →| Fact | What the sources establish |
|---|---|
| Team | Team Icarus, IIIT Dharwad |
| Institute’s placement description | Fourth place among 1,300-plus teams |
| Official URSC award category | Consolation Prize-1 |
| Prize amount | ₹2,00,000, as reported by IIIT Dharwad |
| Final round | 21–23 July 2026 at URSC, Bengaluru |
| Results announcement | 23 August 2026, scheduled for National Space Day in Ahmedabad |
Who was on Team Icarus
IIIT Dharwad named seven students in the team:
- Jayesh Patil — team lead
- Ankit Dash
- Raskin Verma
- Priyanshu Mittal
- Aswin Joseph Sunny
- Saksham Gupta
- Mohammad Rehan
The institute credited Mallikarjun Kande as the team’s mentor. No named individual quotation was included in the available announcements, so the institute’s celebratory wording should not be treated as a personal statement from a student or mentor.
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What the 2026 challenge required
The competition was titled “Towards Swarm Expedition: Autonomous Surveyor Challenge for Exploration, Navigation and Dynamics (ASCEND)”. URSC’s challenge description framed it as a student robotics exercise using a micro-uncrewed aerial vehicle (micro-UAV) and a base station.
Autonomous survey sequence
Teams had to build an autonomous mission around a defined sequence:
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- Acquire images of supplied seed features.
- Search an arena for matching features without remote piloting.
- Record the locations of matches and capture verification images.
- Return the aerial vehicle for landing.
- Transfer mission data to the base station.
- Recharge before the next operation, as required by the challenge procedure.
Navigation constraints
The challenge rules prohibited GPS, telemetry and remote control. Those restrictions put the emphasis on onboard navigation, guidance and task execution rather than on a pilot’s ability to steer the vehicle. Teams could use an available aerial vehicle provided it complied with Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) rules.
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URSC’s description explains the problem and constraints, but it does not disclose which drone frame, flight controller, camera, battery, sensors or software Team Icarus used. The result therefore should not be presented as evidence that the team used any particular commercial kit or hardware configuration.
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When and where the final was held
URSC states that the final round was conducted at its Bengaluru centre on 21, 22 and 23 July 2026. The official results document carries the date 23 August 2026 and says the awardees were announced on National Space Day in Ahmedabad. URSC’s important-dates page lists 23 August 2026 as the results date.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the wording matters
“Fourth place” and “Consolation Prize-1” are not interchangeable labels. The former is IIIT Dharwad’s account of Team Icarus’s standing in the field; the latter is the formal category used in URSC’s published award list. Reporting both avoids turning an institutional placement description into a prize designation that the official document does not use.
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The achievement is notable because ASCEND required a complete autonomous survey workflow under navigation restrictions. A team had to coordinate perception, positioning, flight control, landing and data handling in one mission rather than demonstrate a remotely operated drone alone.
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What is not publicly specified
- URSC’s results document does not provide a numbered ranking table that independently verifies “fourth place.”
- The official results text does not state the ₹2,00,000 amount; that figure comes from IIIT Dharwad’s announcement.
- The retrieved sources do not identify Team Icarus’s hardware, flight software, sensors, battery system or detailed scoring.
- No team interview or named student quote was included in the available material.
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