BENGALURU: On Friday, India successfully launched the Vikram-S, the nation’s first privately developed rocket, marking an important step in its efforts to establish a commercial space industry and compete on price.
Launched from the Indian space agency’s launch facility close to Chennai, the 545-kg rocket was built by space startup Skyroot and reached a peak altitude of 89.5 kilometres (km).
The rocket can travel at five times the speed of sound, or Mach 5, and can lift an 83 kilogramme payload 100 kilometres into the air, according to the manufacturer.
The Skyroot team chose an objective of 80 km for its initial launch, which some organisations see as the outer limits of space. The border between the Earth’s atmosphere and space is defined by the Karman line, which is 100 km above the surface of the planet.
A plume of smoke and fire was visible following the rocket as it took off from the space centre in video footage. About 5 minutes after launch, according to officials, it splashed down in the Bay of Bengal.
The head of the Indian government organisation that organises commercial space activities, Pawan Goenka, declared that “I’m glad to announce the successful completion of Mission Prarambh, the beginning.”
The goal of Pawan Chandana and Bharath Daka’s startup, Skyroot, is to reduce the cost of developing new small satellite launch platforms by up to 90%.
It anticipates achieving such cost savings by utilising composite materials and a rocket architecture that can be put together in under 72 hours. Starting the next year, it intends satellite-delivery launches.
“The two driving forces for the sector should be innovation and cost effectiveness. Cost effectiveness has already been attained, so it’s time to consider cutting-edge technologies “explained Chandana.
In order to supplement its publicly funded space programme, which is renowned for its low-cost launches and missions, the Indian government has been working to create a private space industry.
In 2014, India launched an unmanned Mars mission for $74 million, making news for being less expensive than the Academy Award-winning movie “Gravity.”
In India, rocket launches have up to now been exclusively performed by the government-run ISRO.
The Indian physicist and astronomer Vikram Sarabhai, who is regarded as the founder of India’s space programme, is honoured by having his name attached to the Skyroot rockets.
The first space company to sign a contract to use Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launch and test facilities after the government opened the door to private enterprises in 2020 was Hyderabad-based Skyroot, formed in 2018 and sponsored by Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC.
It currently employs 200 employees and has raised 5.26 billion rupees ($64.42 million) to far. According to the company, around 100 workers were involved in the first launch effort.