Historic! ISRO launches India’s first ‘private rocket’ today. 10 points
India’s space program has soared into new skies as the country’s first privately developed rocket-Vikram-S launched on Friday by ISRO.
The lift-off of the first Vikram-S rocket started at 11:30 am from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Chennai. The launch vehicle has been named so as a tribute to the father of the Indian Space program, the late Vikram Sarabhai.
Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh posted a picture with startup Skyroot Aerospace before the launch of Vikram-S. The minister wrote, With #StartUp Team “Skyroot Aerospace” at #Sriharikota, minutes before the launch of the first-ever private Rocket, Vikram-S, named after Vikram Sarabhai, the founding father of India’s Space program. Countdown begins!”.
Here’s all you need to know about Vikram-S launch:
Under the mission ‘Prarambh’ by Skyroot Aerospace, ISRO launched Vikaram-S today.
The 6-meter-tall Vikram-S soared to an altitude of around 81 km after its launch from Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
Vikaram-S rocket carried payloads of two Indian and one foreign customer
The payloads included- Chennai-based start-up SpaceKidz, Andhra Pradesh-based N-SpaceTech, and Armenian BazoomQ Space Research Lab.
Spacekidz, a Chennai-based aerospace startup, flew a 2.5 kg payload developed by students from India, the US, Singapore, and Indonesia on the sub-orbital flight onboard Vikram-S.
The 545 kg Vikram launch vehicle consists of the Vikram II and Vikram III series.
The technology architecture of the launch vehicle Vikram offers unique capabilities like multi-orbit insertion, and interplanetary missions, while providing customized, dedicated and ride-share options covering a wide spectrum of small satellite customer needs, according to Skyroot.
The launch vehicle is equipped with telemetry, tracking, GPS, an onboard camera, data acquisition, and power systems, it added.
Based in Hyderabad, Skyroot was the first startup to sign a memorandum of understanding with ISRO for launching its rockets.
Set up in 2018, Skyroot has successfully built and tested India’s first privately developed cryogenic, hypergolic-liquid, and solid fuel-based rocket engines using advanced composite and 3D-printing technologies.
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