India launches first private orbital rocket as space start-ups expand
Skyroot Technologies’ Vikram-1 rocket is about as tall as a seven-storey building and capable of carrying up to 350kg
India’s first privately built orbital rocket took its maiden flight on Saturday, its company said, marking a significant step for the South Asian giant as it eyes a bigger slice of the global space economy.
The Vikram-1 rocket, built by Skyroot Aerospace and designed to carry small satellites into low-Earth orbit, took off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota amid loud cheers.
“Hello space, we have arrived!” Skyroot Aerospace said on social media. “Vikram-1’s Test Flight-1 has completed its mission. The first ever Indian private sector launch has been successfully completed.”
Vikram-1 is about as tall as a seven-storey building and capable of carrying payloads weighing up to 350kg (771 pounds).
Pawan Goenka, Chairman of the government’s Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre, said the achievement went “way beyond expectation for the very first orbital launch ever taken by an Indian private company”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the endeavour as “a defining moment in India’s space journey”.