On 24th October 2026, AEROSS, the Aerospace and Aviation Society of Delhi Public School RK Puram, organised the sixth edition of its annual flagship symposium, CelesteCon 2026. Guided by the philosophy of ‘build rather than watch’, this event was an effort to ignite the passion and interest of students in the fields of aerospace, aviation and STEM.
CelesteCon 2026 was supported by India Accelerator (a start-up incubation platform), AirLeap (the aerospace education initiative under G-Vayu Robotics), Divine Inc. along with the Smiling Tree as its sustainability partner.
The symposium was conducted over two rounds – the preliminary online round witnessed participation from approximately 300 students representing over 30 schools, out of which 175 qualifying students attended the on-site event at DPS RK Puram. Together, the competitions embodied AEROSS’s motto, ‘The Sky Is Not the Limit’, celebrating innovation, collaboration and the spirit of scientific exploration.
The symposium featured eight competitions designed to encourage scientific inquiry, technical expertise, creativity and entrepreneurial thinking, providing participants with opportunities to apply theoretical knowledge to practical challenges.
The competitions were as follows:
1) Settle-Me-This: It challenged participants to design permanent, habitable settlements in free space capable of supporting thousands of people. The event was judged by Mr Vishal Taneja, an educator and a mechanical engineering graduate from IIT Bombay; and Ms Chitrakshi Vij, an executive presence and influence strategist and the co-founder of CuriosityCo.
2) Volatus: It tested the participants’ ability to design unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) under real-world constraints through technical proposals, 3D CAD designs and physical models. The event was judged by Mr Himanshu Suryavanshi, Associate Partner at KPMG and a former Indian Army officer; and Col Ashwani Bhardwaj, former Army officer and the Vice President at Zuppa Geo Navigation Technologies.
3) In Pursuit of Dispute: It combined an aerospace, aviation and STEM quiz with debates on contemporary issues, including artificial intelligence, space exploration and communication with extraterrestrial life. The event was judged by Mr Sahil Chopra, Founder and CEO of Social House Learning and a TEDx speaker, and Dr Leshaya Sharma, a seasoned debater and MUN enthusiast.
4) Business Power Pitch: It encouraged entrepreneurial innovation through the development and pitching of technically feasible, sustainable and financially viable solutions. The event was judged by Ms Mansi Chaturvedi, Climate Change Advisor at GIZ India; and Mr Mayank Jain, an IIM Calcutta alumnus and Vice President of Marketing at MakeMyTrip.
5) AEROSS Theatre: It celebrated artistic expression through live performances themed ‘Past, Present and Future’. The judges included Mr Riddhijit Chattopadhyay, a theatre practitioner; Mr Prabhakar Pandey of the Asmita Theatre Group; and Mr Rohann Jaina, the co-founder of Curiosity Co.
6) CelesteJam: It challenged participants to develop original aerospace-themed mini-games on the theme ‘Retrogression’. The event was judged by Ms Vanshi Goyal, Software Engineer at Agoda; and Mr Wahid Altaf, CAD Engineer at Gavyu.
7) Rocketry: It evaluated model rockets through technical design and performance simulations using OpenRocket software. The event was judged by Mr Amritansh Bharti, CEO of G-Vayu Robotics Private Limited and Founder of AirLeap; and Mr Shubhankar Sinha, a mechanical and robotics engineer.
8) AEROSS Prix: It tested engineering precision through the design of miniature racing cars, assessed on technical merit and track performance. The event was judged by Mr Achin BN Biyani, development and infrastructure consultant; and Mr Abhishek Kumar, an IIT, BHU and IIM Calcutta alumnus and a business and operations leader.
The symposium was an immense success, with the Vice Principals, Mr Naresh Miglani, Mr Anil Kathuria and Mr Mukesh Kumar; and the Headmistresses, Dr Anubha Gopal and Ms Vandana Chandokhe visiting the respective venues to felicitate the judges and present them with tokens of appreciation in recognition of their valuable contribution and esteemed presence.
The valedictory ceremony was graced by the presence of the Chief Guests, Ms Mona Singh, Co-founder and Director of India Accelerator and Mr Amritansh Bharti, CEO of AirLeap. It commenced on a melodious note with a soulful musical performance by Ashi Yadav of XI-I and Krishika Jayera of IX-P, setting a fitting tone for the occasion.
Thereafter, the Vice Principal, Mr Mukesh Kumar, addressed the gathering, commending the participants for their enthusiasm, intellectual curiosity and spirit of innovation. He emphasised the importance of perseverance, critical thinking and collaborative learning in transforming ideas into meaningful outcomes. He also acknowledged the significance of such inter-school platforms in fostering healthy competition, nurturing young talent and equipping students with the skills and perspectives essential for the future.
This was followed by the prize distribution ceremony wherein the winners were felicitated by the Chief Guests, Ms Mona Singh, Co-founder and Director of India Accelerator and Mr Amritansh Bharti, CEO of AirLeap, the Vice Principal, Mr Mukesh Kumar and Mr Manirul Hussain, Head of the Physics Department, in recognition of their achievements and commendable performances.
The event was organised under the able guidance and support of the club incharges, Ms Vibha Arora and Mr Sanchit Chauhan, who also delivered the vote of thanks. They expressed their sincere gratitude to the Principal, Mr Anil Kumar, for his constant encouragement and support, while appreciating the participating schools, whose enthusiastic involvement contributed significantly to the success of the event.
With the highest number of wins, DPS Noida was declared the overall winner. Along with the rolling trophy, they also received a drone kit worth Rs 50,000 which was provided by the sponsor – AirLeap.
The results for all the events of CelesteCon 2026 are as follows :
| Overall Winner | DPS Noida |
| EVENT | FIRST POSITION | SECOND POSITION | THIRD POSITION |
| Settle-Me-This (Senior) | Ryan International School, Vasant Kunj | DPS Faridabad | DPS Noida |
| Settle-Me-This (Junior) | Tagore International School, East of Kailash | DPS Noida | Bal Bharti Public School, Noida |
| Volatus | DPS Faridabad(Sector 19) | Bal Bharti Public School, Noida | Tagore International School, East of Kailash |
| In Pursuit of Dispute | DPS Faridabad | Hindu Vidyapeeth, Sonepat | Bal Bharti Public School, Noida |
| Business Power Pitch (Senior) | DPS Faridabad(Sector 19) | DPS Noida | Bal Bharti Public School, Noida |
| Business Power Pitch (Junior) | DPS Noida | DPS Sector 98 Faridabad | DPS Faridabad (Sector 19) |
| CelesteJam (Senior) | DPS Noida | Bal Bharti Public School, Noida | DPS Sector 98 Faridabad |
| CelesteJam (Junior) | DPS Dwarka Expressway | Bal Bharti Public School, Noida | Bal Bharti Public School, Pitampura |
| Aeross Theatre | DPS Noida | Tagore International School, East of Kailash | DPS Sector 98 Faridabad |
| Rocketry (Senior) | Tagore International School, East of Kailash | DPS Dwarka | DPS Gautaum Budh Nagar |
| Rocketry (Junior) | DPS Noida | DPS Faridabad | – |
| Aeross Prix | The Khaitan School | – | – |