New Delhi, Jan 13 (IANS): The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog on Wednesday announced the results of the 'ATL Space Challenge 2021'.

The Challenge, which was launched in collaboration with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), witnessed over 6,500 students participating in the challenge from 32 states/UTs.

It also had a heartening participation of over 35 per cent from girl students.

Speaking during the virtual event for announcing winners, Principal Scientific Adviser to Government of India, K. VijayRaghavan stressed upon the value of space science and its challenges for humans.

"This is sort of a natural challenge where people have a natural enthusiasm towards taking such challenges and the ability to explore space is something wonderful. India has a great history of exploring space, so I believe that all students must have access to science and technology at its fundamental level. It must be available to every student who wants to become an astronomer. These students can shape our economic future," he said.

Mission Director, AIM, Dr Chintan Vaishnav while unveiling the winners said that the ATL Space Challenge is an example of how AIM has created an opportunity for young school innovators to directly learn and work in the 'space sector' -- a major sector which can't be missed.

The Challenge was launched on September 6 and the students could submit their entries using the online portal while virtual YouTube LIVE sessions were also conducted by the AIM-ISRO-CBSE team to guide and motivate the students.

The Challenge also aligned with the World Space Week 2021, which is observed from October 4-10 each year at the global level in order to celebrate the contributions of space science and technology.