Skyroot’s Vikram-1 set for historic launch; India’s first private orbital rocket lifts off today
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New Delhi: Hyderabad-based space startup Skyroot Aerospace is poised to make history on Saturday with the inaugural flight of Vikram-1, India’s first privately built orbital launch vehicle.
Named Mission Aagaman, the test launch is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. from the First Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SDSC-SHAR, Sriharikota. If successful, the mission will mark India’s entry into the global private orbital launch market and underline the rapid growth of the country’s commercial space sector.
Skyroot said it has secured all required airspace and maritime clearances, and authorities have announced restricted zones along the planned flight path and impact corridor to ensure safety. Vikram-1 follows the company’s earlier success with Vikram-S, a suborbital vehicle launched on November 18, 2022.
Adding a symbolic note to the flight, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s handwritten postcard reading “Vande Mataram” will travel onboard Vikram-1, alongside handwritten notes from Skyroot team members, investors, policymakers and supporters worldwide. Skyroot described the keepsakes as a shared celebration of the collaborative effort behind India’s growing private-space ecosystem.
A successful Vikram-1 launch would boost India’s standing in the global space industry, demonstrate domestic private-sector launch capabilities and open new commercial opportunities in satellite deployment.
(Inputs from IANS)