"New Dawn": Launch Of India's First Private Rocket, Vikram-S, Successful

Vikram-S, India's first privately developed rocket, successfully lifted off from the spaceport in Sriharikota today, marking the foray of the private sector into the country's space industry, dominated by ISRO for decades.

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Developed by Skyroot Aerospace, a four-year-old startup based in Hyderabad, the rocket was launched with support from ISRO and IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre).
Congratulating ISRO and IN-SPACe, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the rocket launch was an "important milestone" in the journey of India's private space industry.
The rocket carried three payloads built by Andhra Pradesh-based N Space Tech India, Chennai-based startup Space Kids and Armenian BazoomQ Space Research Lab.
Vikram-S soared to an altitude of 89.5 km after its launch and met all the parameters, Skyroot Aerospace said attaching a YouTube link of the flight.
"We made history today by launching India's first private rocket. It is a symbol of new India, and just the Prarambh (beginning) of a great future." Pawan Kumar Chandana, Co-Founder Skyroot Aerospace, said.
Explaining that satellite launches will play a crucial role in future, Bharath Daka, the other co-founder added, "The maiden launch has proved our technology. Value creation is key in this space. We will be able to prove our capability to our investors".
Developed by a 200-engineer team within a record time of two years, Vikram-S is powered by solid fuelled propulsion, cutting-edge avionics and a carbon fibre core structure.
The rocket launch will help test and validate the majority of the technologies in the Vikram series of orbital class space launch vehicles, including many sub-systems and technologies that will be tested across the pre-lift off and post-lift off phases of the launch, according to Skyroot Aerospace.
With a body mass of 545 kgs, length of 6m, and diameter of 0.375 meters, Vikram-S is one of the most affordable rockets in its category, globally.
At least 150 start-ups have shown interest in the space sector, Dr Pawan Goenka, IN-SPACe Chairman, told NDTV. "150 start-ups have sent applications to foray into space. So far, we have given authorization to five," he said.