Prime Minister Modi said the launch, scheduled to take place at 11:30 am, marks an important milestone for India’s private space sector.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday wished Skyroot Aerospace success ahead of the maiden orbital launch of Vikram-1, India’s first privately developed launch vehicle. The Prime Minister described the mission as a “historic new frontier” for space flight in the country.
In a post on X, Modi said the launch, scheduled for 11:30 am, was a milestone for India’s private space sector.
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“At 11:30 am today, Skyroot Aerospace will make the maiden orbital launch of Vikram-1, India’s first privately developed launch vehicle,” he said.
Modi said the four-stage rocket was designed to provide rapid and on-demand launch services and said the mission demonstrated the capabilities of India’s young innovators.
“This mission highlights the talent, determination and entrepreneurial spirit of our youth. It also shows how our reforms in the space sector are opening up new opportunities for innovation and enterprise,” Modi said.
Extending his best wishes to the Skyroot Aerospace team, Modi said, “May Vikram-1 soar high, create history and inspire a generation of innovators.”
He also asked people across the country, especially young Indians, to follow the launch and support the mission using the hashtag #IndiaWithVikram1.
What is AGMAN’s mission?
The launch, named Mission Aagaman, will see Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace attempt to put satellites into orbit using a launch vehicle designed and built entirely by a private Indian company. The launch is scheduled from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota.
All about Vikram-1
Vikram-1 is 24 meters tall, made of a lightweight carbon composite structure and uses three solid-fuel stages coupled with a liquid-fueled orbital modification module, according to the Skyroot website.
It is capable of carrying payloads of up to 350 kg into a 450 km low Earth orbit (LEO) with an inclination of 60 degrees. Among the payloads is the Diamond Lotus, a lab-grown diamond developed by Bengaluru-based Cosmos Diamonds.
Read also | Meet Vikram-1, a home-made rocket that reaches the height of a 7-storey building
The private space sector in India is growing rapidly
Rajesh Jothi, technical director of IN-SPACe, said the mission demonstrated the rapid expansion of India’s private space ecosystem following the space sector reforms undertaken by the Center in 2020. “We are seeing growth in the private sector,” Jothi told ANI.
“We started with barely five or six startups, and today we have more than 400 startups. This happened due to the government’s space-related reforms in 2020, after which IN-SPACE was formed in 2022. Our Prime Minister’s vision is now being implemented, and we are seeing the outcome of the space policy,” he said.
Guthi said the success of the mission will enhance India’s capabilities in the small satellite launch market.
“Skyroot will now launch its first launch vehicle, which will be the first of its kind. Not only in India, but outside India as well, there are only one or two countries that have such a small satellite launch vehicle. If this is successful, it will give a boost to both the small satellite market and the small launch vehicle market,” he added.
A “historic landmark” for Skyroot Aerospace
Skyroot Aerospace co-founder and chief operating officer Naga Bharath Daka said the company was founded eight years ago with the vision of building reliable and affordable launch services from India for global satellite operators.
“We started Skyroot about eight years ago with the aim of building reliable and affordable rockets from India to the world and providing affordable, reliable and on-demand launch solutions to satellite operators across the world. All our efforts and those of the team are culminating today in this historic achievement,” he told ANI.
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