India’s first privately developed orbital-class rocket Vikram-1 sits on a launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
India’s first privately developed orbital-class rocket is all set for its maiden launch.On July 2, private space launch company Skyroot Aerospace, based in Hyderabad, announced that the launch window for Vikram-1’s first test flight, named Mission Aagaman, is between July 12 and August 4.It said that Test Flight-1 is targeted for no earlier than July 12, subject to the completion of assembly and testing operations at the launch site in Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, and weather, safety, range clearance, and that the window extends till August 4.
“The moment Vikram-1 lifts off, India’s private space industry will cross a threshold it has never crossed before”Pawan Kumar ChandanaCo-founder & CEO, Skyroot AerospaceSkyroot Aerospace said that Mission Aagaman, meaning ‘the arrival’, marks its second mission following the successful suborbital flight of Vikram-S, the first private rocket to reach space from Indian soil, on November 18, 2022.
India's first private rocket Vikram-S, built by Skyroot Aerospace, lifts off from a launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on November 18, 2022.
