SRIHARIKOTA (ANDHRA PRADESH), JUL 18 (PTI): In a defining milestone, Skyroot Aerospace on Saturday launched the country’s first private orbital rocket and successfully placed multiple technology-demonstration payloads into the desired orbit, making India the third country with private orbital launch capabilities after the US and China.
The four-stage, seven-storey-tall Vikram-1 rocket lifted off majestically at 12.05 pm amid cloudy skies from the first launch pad of ISRO’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre here, leaving behind plumes of orange smoke and marking a new era in the country’s space missions.
The rocket, named after Vikram Sarabhai, the father of India’s space programme, also carried payloads that had postcards, including from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who called the mission a “defining moment” in the country’s space journey. The postcards, loaded into specialised “payload lockers”, were placed into Low Earth orbit (LEO).
This historic milestone is also expected to strengthen India’s position in the fast-growing global small satellite launch market.
