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Vikram-1: All about India's first privately developed orbital rocket saying ‘hello’ to space
The launch witnessed a brief delay after the mission control team placed the countdown on a planned hold minutes before the scheduled liftoff.
Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace created history on Saturday with the successful launch of Vikram-1, India's first privately developed orbital launch vehicle. The mission, named Mission Aagaman, lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
Skyroot Aerospace wrote on X, "Hello space, we have arrived! Vikram-1's Test Flight-1 has completed it's mission. The first ever Indian private sector launch has been successfully completed."
Besides satellites, the rocket also carried a handwritten postcard from Prime Minister Narendra Modi bearing the message "Vande Mataram", along with postcards from engineers, scientists and Indian astronauts, PTI reported.
Ahead of the launch, Modi described Vikram-1 as "a historic new frontier for India's space journey."
What is Vikram-1?
Vikram-1 is an orbital launch vehicle developed by Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace. Unlike suborbital rockets, it is designed to place satellites into stable Earth orbit, enabling applications such as communications, navigation, Earth observation and scientific research, as per Skyroot website.
Vikram-1 is India's first privately developed orbital rocket, making Skyroot the first Indian private company to attempt an orbital satellite launch.
Vikram-1 significance
Vikram-1 is the entry of India's private space sector into the orbital launch market and is being seen as a major milestone in the country's commercial space ambitions.
It is also the first major demonstration of the government's space-sector reforms under the Indian Space Policy 2023, which opened the entire space value chain to private participation.
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Vikram-1's key features
- It stands 24 metres tall, roughly the height of a seven-storey building.
- Vikram-1 is designed to carry up to 350 kg of payload to a 450-km Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at a 60-degree inclination.
- It features an all-carbon composite structure, making it lightweight and durable.
- The four-stage rocket uses three solid-fuel stages and a liquid-fuelled orbital adjustment module.
- It is powered by 3D-printed liquid engines, helping reduce manufacturing time and complexity.
- It has been designed for rapid and on-demand launch services.
- Skyroot says Vikram-1 is among the few rockets globally capable of deploying satellites into orbit.
What is Mission Aagaman?
Mission Aagaman is the maiden flight of Vikram-1 and it lifted off from the first launch pad at ISRO's Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, at 12:05.
ALSO READ | PM Modi wishes Skyroot success ahead of Vikram-1's first orbital launch: ‘A historic new frontier for India’
The mission deployed multiple customer payloads into a 450-km Low Earth Orbit while collecting engineering data that will be used to validate the rocket's guidance, navigation and control systems. The data also will help refine the vehicle for future commercial satellite launch missions.
What payloads is Vikram-1 carrying?
The rocket has deployed multiple domestic and international technology demonstration payloads -
- Skyroot's SCOPE satellite.
- DCubed's technology demonstration payload.
- Grahaa Space's SOLARAS S3 satellite.
- Cosmoserve Space's Embrace, a robotic arm designed to capture orbital debris.
- Cosmic Bloom, a floral-shaped micro-art installation.
- An 18-karat gold micro-rocket featuring microscopic sculptures of CV Raman, Vikram Sarabhai and APJ Abdul Kalam, each smaller than a grain of rice.
- A handwritten postcard by PM Modi carrying the message "Vande Mataram".
- Handwritten postcards from engineers, scientists and Indian astronauts.
How is Vikram-1 different from Vikram-S?
Vikram-1 is Skyroot's second rocket. Its predecessor, Vikram-S, successfully flew on a suborbital mission in November 2022, becoming the first privately built rocket launched from an ISRO facility in Sriharikota.
While Vikram-S was a technology demonstration mission, Vikram-1 is designed to place satellites into orbit, representing a far more advanced capability.
Why is it called Vikram?
The Vikram series is named after Dr Vikram Sarabhai, regarded as the father of India's space programme, in recognition of his pioneering contributions to the country's space efforts.
