NITK Satellite Pose Estimation Project Assistant Recruitment 2026

The work behind this notice is unusually specific: NITK Surathkal's Department of Mathematical and Computational Sciences (MACS) is recruiting a Project Assistant for “Vision-Based Pose Estimation for Chaser-Target Satellite Operations.” This is an applied vision-and-geometry project, not a general campus clerical vacancy. It is funded by Stardour Aerospace Technologies Private Limited, with Dr Mahima listed as Principal Investigator. The employer issuing the recruitment notice is NITK, not the private funding company.

Advt. MACS/2026/1047/VPE1 is dated 22 October 2026; the NITK announcement listing is dated 23 October 2026. Email applications must be received on or before 5 November 2026. This distinction matters: publication on a job website is not permission to add an extra day's time to the actual deadline.

Status note: NITK's website on 23 October lists several older vacancies also titled Project Assistant. Use MACS/2026/1047/VPE1 and the satellite-pose-estimation project title to identify this notice; do not conflate it with its September MACS or August Project Assistant advertisement.

🧑‍🎓 Who is eligible? Read the “OR” correctly

The notice sets two alternative degree pathways, not a rule that every candidate must hold both a bachelor's and a master's degree.

How to interpret the alternatives: The stated 6.5/10 CGPA and first-class division are two alternative academic thresholds in the advertisement. They do not license candidates to convert 6.5 CGPA automatically into 65% for every university's grading system. Similarly, “other relevant” UG/PG degrees are subject to the institute's judgment on relevance; the advertisement does not publish an unrestricted list of accepted branches. A Bachelor of Science degree outside a demonstrably relevant discipline is not guaranteed eligibility just because the project concerns computational science.

No experience barrier: “Experience: Not Applicable” appears in the official eligibility table. The later selection paragraph references qualifications, experience and interview/test; that statement does not retroactively create a compulsory minimum experience period. Relevant work may be considered if submitted, but zero previous employment is not a stated automatic disqualification. Upload only real evidence, not claimed months of experience.

Preferred, not essential: Basic knowledge of Blender and image processing. Candidates can prepare examples showing coordinate-frame understanding, object tracking, 3D rotations, camera models and simple image-processing outputs—but these are preparation suggestions, not a published compulsory tool stack, interview syllabus or daily duty description.

Age and category clarification

The employer explicitly writes “No age limit.” There is therefore no published minimum or maximum age threshold, and no category-wise age-relaxation table to compute. The attached form nevertheless asks for date of birth, gender and category. Those fields should be completed truthfully; their presence does not create a hidden age cap, application reservation roster or fee waiver.

Nationality: The first paragraph explicitly invites Indian National candidates. No district domicile quota, state residence preference, PwBD allocation or SC/ST/OBC/EWS seat matrix is announced.

💰 Understand the monthly ₹12,000 package

The remuneration row can be misread because it labels the first line “GATE/UGC-NET Fellowship: NA” and the second line “NON-GATE/UGC-NET Fellowship: ₹10,000; HRA: ₹2,000; Total: ₹12,000.” In this notification GATE/NET is not mandatory, and no ₹31,000 or ₹37,000 JRF-style rate is notified. A successful GATE score does not itself entitle an applicant to a higher package here.

What makes up the stated monthly remuneration

Monthly remuneration: base amount and house-rent allowance

The two amounts total ₹12,000/month. HRA is presented as a fixed ₹2,000 in the notice, not an HRA percentage. It is exactly one-sixth of the stated total (16.67%), but this proportion is descriptive, not a rule for recalculating allowances after a salary change.

The PDF does not state deductions, income-tax handling, insurance, in-hand amount, bonus, relocation allowance, extra travel stipend, accommodation or permanence. None should be inferred from a different NITK project or fellowship scheme.

🛰️ Satellite pose estimation: what this project title means

The official title refers to using visual data to estimate the position and orientation (“pose”) of a target satellite relative to another satellite (“chaser”). This provides a useful way to understand why mathematical/computational qualifications and image processing are relevant. However, the notice does not publish a detailed statement of work, a required programming language, satellite mission name, named camera system, hardware platform or publication quota.

A preparation roadmap—not an official test syllabus—could cover:

These are educational pointers derived from the published research topic, not claimed responsibilities or evidence of a specified written examination. Applicants with a stronger mathematics pathway may emphasise rigorous geometry, while CSE graduates can demonstrate image-analysis code and a Blender sample; the posted eligibility allows both relevant UG and PG routes.

📩 Application instructions: the one-PDF rule

Application is not through a generic online recruitment portal. The notice specifically says to combine the documents into one PDF and email it to mahima@nitk.edu.in on or before 5 November 2026.

1. Complete page 2 of the official advertisement headed “APPLICATION FORM FOR THE POST OF ...”; enter Project Assistant and provide contact information and education history.
2. Gather scanned certificates and marksheets from Class 10 onward. Ensure the academic record supports the full-time qualification route and CGPA/class threshold you claim.
3. Add a valid ID proof. Attach a GATE/UGC-NET scorecard only if applicable; it is not a required eligibility certificate.
4. Add supporting evidence of research experience, achievements and publications only if relevant and actually available. The absence of prior employment does not contradict the eligibility rule.
5. Combine the documents into one legible PDF, including the filled form. The notice does not specify a maximum file size, file-naming convention or email subject line; a clear subject such as “Project Assistant — MACS/2026/1047/VPE1” is practical advice, not an additional official condition.
6. Send the combined PDF to mahima@nitk.edu.in by 5 November 2026. The advertisement gives no exact deadline hour; do not assume an 11:59 PM extension.
7. Monitor the email account used for the application: shortlisted applicants will receive the written test/interview schedule by email only. Institute announcements may also be checked for updates, but the PDF explicitly identifies email as the notification channel for shortlisted candidates.

What the attached application form asks for

The second page requests name, postal address, email/mobile, DOB, gender, marital status, category, a passport-size photograph, qualification-wise marks/CGPA/class/degree/specialisation, relevant GATE/NET details, work experience/achievements, publication details and a signature with declaration. A candidate declares no blood or close family relationship with the Project Investigator; supplying inaccurate information can result in cancellation. Extra A4 sheets may be attached for more detail.

There is no application fee amount, payment portal, demand draft requirement or offline-postal submission address in this project advertisement. Do not interpret silence on fees as an officially published fee of ₹0.

🗓️ The real selection and engagement lifecycle

This recruitment needs to be followed beyond application submission. The following stages distinguish published milestones from future decisions rather than inventing a full exam calendar.

How the 7-month project and review interval differ

Total advertised term compared with the review interval

The relative review cadence suggests checks near months 2, 4 and 6 after engagement begins, but the official notice supplies no joining date, calendar review dates or guarantee of retention after a review. Seven months is a maximum stated project period, not seven assured months of salary.

Written exam, syllabus, call letter, answer key and results

• Written examination: NITK mentions a possible written test/interview for shortlisted applicants but has not specified whether both assessments will be held. Do not create a standalone exam object until NITK publishes a definite exam.
• Syllabus / pattern: None supplied. Relevant vision/geometry preparation is editorial guidance, not an official curriculum.
• Call letter / admit card: Email intimation for shortlisted applicants is stated; the notice does not announce a downloadable admit card or hall-ticket schedule.
• Answer key / cutoff: No declared test, score, answer key, objection portal or merit cutoff. No such standalone lifecycle items can be truthfully published now.
• Interview schedule / result: Neither dates nor official selection lists are included. Create new linked content only on new institute evidence.
• After joining: Two-month reviews are a real post-selection lifecycle event for this project, and should not be omitted just because other recruitment sites stop at the interview line.

⚖️ Important distinctions often lost in one-paragraph job alerts

1. One role does not prove a numerical count. The PDF says “Position: Project Assistant,” but never explicitly lists a “number of posts” cell. The structured vacancy number is therefore left not specified pending an official count. This is more accurate than inventing a definite 1.

2. Institute recruitment versus private project funding. The sponsor is Stardour Aerospace Technologies Pvt Ltd, while NITK announces the temporary selection. The private funder is not the recruiting employer named on the application form.

3. GATE/NET is not a compulsory qualification. “GATE/UGC-NET Fellowship: NA” is an unusual pay-table label but not a hidden mandatory score requirement; the next line explicitly describes the ₹10,000 + ₹2,000 arrangement.

4. The 'no age limit' line is affirmative. Do not leave an empty age box that looks like missing research. It means the notice imposes no age ceiling and does not state a minimum.

5. No compulsory experience versus experience-based selection. The essential eligibility says “Not Applicable” for experience, whereas selection mentions experience among possible criteria. Candidates can truthfully supply optional experience evidence without manufacturing a mandatory one-year or two-year minimum.

6. Temporary engagement includes reviews. The seven-month tenure is not a permanent appointment, and the employer expressly ties subsequent phases and funding to reviews every two months.

7. Earlier NITK Project Assistant results are not this vacancy's results. NITK announcements include old selected/shortlisted notices for other projects. Match every later result using the MACS/2026/1047/VPE1 identifier before connecting any lifecycle record.

✅ Source, identity and future updates

Primary document: NITK Surathkal signed two-page Project Assistant advertisement, MACS/2026/1047/VPE1, dated 22 October 2026. The PDF's second page is the prescribed application form. Source listing: NITK announcements (Project Assistant entry dated 23 October 2026). The exact direct PDF URL of the uploaded signed file has not independently been verified, so this article links to the official announcement listing rather than constructing a download URL.

For prospective candidates, the actionable priority is to determine which alternative degree pathway applies, assemble one complete PDF, email it before the deadline, and keep contact details working for the eventual written-test/interview intimation. No later stage should be labelled 'held', 'released' or 'published' until supported by a new official notification.