Vikram-S, India’s 1st privately built rocket launched successfully
The VKS is a single-stage fuel rocket developed by Hyderabad-based startup company Skyroot Aerospace Pvt Ltd (SAPL) and is a single-stage spin-stabilised solid propellant rocket with a mass of approximately 545 kgs
Vikram-S, India’s first privately developed rocket, was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from its spaceport in Sriharikota, about 115 km from Chennai, at 11:30am on Friday.
After the launch, the rocket achieved an 89.5 km peak altitude around 12pm with all flight parameters intact, said the developer Skyroot Aerospace.
The rocket has been named after Vikram Sarabhai, hailed as the father of India’s space sector. In a bid to symbolise a new start, the mission has been named ‘Prarambh’, which translates as “beginning”.
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Dr Jitendra Singh, union minister of state (independent charge), science and technology, atomic energy and space, who attended the launch on Friday said, “This is indeed a new prarambh (start) for the private space sector.”
Taking to Twitter, Singh congratulated India and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this milestone achievement, he wrote, “Congratulations India! A historic landmark under PM @narendramodi! A turning point for Indian #StartUps! A new beginning for #ISRO! First ever private Rocket Vikram-S is in Space.”
“Launched! Vikram-S makes history as the first private rocket of India to grace the skies. We thank you all for being with us for this momentous occasion. More details of flight to follow. Keep watching!” Skyroot Aerospace tweeted.
“We made history today by launching India’s first private rocket. It is a symbol of new India, and just the ‘Prarambh’ of a great future.” Pawan Kumar Chandana, co-founder of Skyroot Aerospace said.
The VKS is a single-stage fuel rocket has been developed by Hyderabad-based startup company Skyroot Aerospace Pvt Ltd (SAPL) and is a single-stage spin-stabilised solid propellant rocket with a mass of approximately 545 kgs.
“Skyroot was the first startup to sign an MoU (memorandum of understanding) with ISRO for launching its rockets. Apart from being the nation’s first private launch, it will also be the maiden mission of Skyroot Aerospace, named Prarambh. It will carry a total of three payloads in space, including one from foreign customers,” Dr Jitendra Singh said on Thursday.
Skyroot Aerospace said Vikram-S 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 pre-lift-off and post-lift-off phases of the launch.
This launch will be heralding a “new age in India’s space sector”, Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe)—a single-window autonomous agency under the government’s department of space to boost the presence of private players in the space sector, said.
The initial launch date of Vikram-S was scheduled for November 15 but was delayed due to bad weather.