ISRO Robotics Challenge — IRoC-U 2025 · Case Study

ANAV

Fly Me to Mars

Our 2025 story of building an autonomous aerial vehicle that finds its own way, with no GPS and no external navigation aids.

Aerial Robotics GPS-Denied Navigation Mars-like Terrain

Read the story Official results ↗

Event: IRoC-U 2025
Theme: ANAV — Fly Me to Mars
Institute: YCCE Nagpur
Result: 4th Prize · National

01 The Challenge

How do you fly where there is no GPS?

IRoC-U 2025 asked students to develop Autonomous Navigation for an Aerial Vehicle (ANAV) for Martian-surface conditions, without GNSS or any external navigation aid. Over 500 participants entered, and only 16 teams reached the finals.

Navigate

Fly autonomously across a Mars-like surface with no GNSS, pseudolites or reflector arrays to lean on.

Analyse terrain

Scan and understand the ground below in order to decide where it is safe to go.

Land & return

Detect a safe landing area, touch down, and complete the return part of the mission.

02 Our Perspective

On Mars, the vehicle has to be its own guide.

With no satellite signal to rely on, every decision to fly, look, land and return had to come from the vehicle itself.

ANAV · Autonomous Aerial Vehicle

03 Our Approach

One vehicle. Fully self-reliant.

We keep the focus on the bigger picture: a vehicle that can fly, see, decide and return on its own. Detailed design choices stay internal, so this page covers the public view only.

Fly

Controlled autonomous flight without external navigation aids.

Scan

Real-time terrain scanning as the vehicle moves.

Spot

Identify where a safe landing is possible.

Decide

Turn what the vehicle senses into actions, onboard and on its own.

Return

Support the return leg and the next stage of the mission.

Stay independent

Keep the system self-reliant, because on Mars nobody can send a signal to help.

04 The Journey

From a proposal to the Top 16.

The 2025 challenge ran through qualification, a live-evaluated elimination round and a final field round at URSC, Bengaluru, ending with the awards on National Space Day.

01
Qualification
Proposal and concept.
02
Elimination
Live video-call evaluation.
03
Top 16
Selected for the finals.
04
Field Round
Final at URSC, Bengaluru.
05
National Stage
Awards on 23 Aug 2025.

05 What Stood Out

Two moments that defined the year.

Elimination Round

Proven live, on camera

The vehicle was evaluated in real time over live video calls, with an ISRO scientist on site. That performance earned a place among the top 16 finalists.

National Space Day

Felicitated at Bharat Mandapam

On 23 August 2025, the team was felicitated by Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State, Department of Space, and Dr. V. Narayanan, Chairman ISRO.

07 The Result

AIR 04

National Position

Team Titans secured the 4th Prize with the cash prize of 2,00,000 /- at IRoC-U 2025 under the theme “Fly Me to Mars”, as one of the 16 finalist teams.

IRoC-U 2025ISRO Robotics Challenge — University Edition

Top 16National finalists

4thNational position

View official results ↗ Watch the announcement ↗

08 The Team

Meet the Titans

Guided by our mentors — Dr. Sandip Khedkar & Mr. Niket Malusare — and built by the 2025 squad of engineers who took ANAV from concept to the national finals.