Jalpaiguri, Nov. 28 -- Students of Jalpaiguri Government Engineering College (JGEC) showcased an innovative water-powered rocket model at the state-level tech fest "Star Srishti," dedicated to the 10 alumni who contributed to ISRO's Chandrayaan Mission.

The college grounds resembled a mini spaceport on Friday, with rockets launching from one side and landing at varying distances. Students measured the distances using tapes and lime powder, as the demonstrations continued throughout the day. Organised jointly by the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering departments, the highlight of the event was the "Sputnik" competition, where students designed and launched their own rockets. The contest rewarded participants whose rockets travelled the farthest.

Students designed rockets using plastic bottles, adding fins and nozzle-shaped rears, filling them 70 per cent with water and pumping in air. Pressure propelled the rockets at high speeds and winners were determined by the distance travelled.

"10 alumni of our college now work at ISRO and were part of India's lunar mission team. The Sputnik event was organised as a tribute to them," said Shatabrata Chatterjee, a third-year Mechanical Engineering student. Debapriya Majhi, a second-year Electrical Engineering student, added: "While real spacecraft require huge budgets, we built rockets using only water and air pressure. This is a first step toward understanding low-cost spacecraft design." Joint coordinators Ankit Ghosh and Saurashish Ghatak noted that students from various colleges showcased their talent through innovative model exhibitions.

The tech fest, which began on 26 November and will continue until 30 November, has attracted nearly 100 students from colleges across the state, including Kalyani, Alipurduar, Cooch Behar Government Engineering College, Siliguri SIT, and other institutions.

Principal Amitava Roy expressed pride in the students and alumni, saying: "10 of our alumni contributed to India's lunar mission-a remarkable achievement. Through playful experimentation, our students demonstrated how rockets can be built and if developed further, this technology could benefit the nation."

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.