Indian space start-up Skyroot unveils Vikram-1 rocket, set to launch satellites early next year

New Delhi, October 24

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Space start-up Skyroot Aerospace on Tuesday unveiled its indigenously built Vikram-1 rocket which is expected to deliver satellites to low earth orbit early next year.

Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh also inaugurated ‘The MAX-Q Campus’, the new headquarters of the start-up at the GMR Aerospace and Industrial Park at Mamidipally in South Hyderabad.

Singh toured the Skyroot headquarters spread across 60,000 sq ft and billed as the country’s largest private rocket development facility under one roof.

Vikram-1 is a multi-stage launch vehicle with a capacity to place around 300 kg payloads in Low Earth Orbit. It is an all-carbon-fibre-bodied rocket that can place multiple satellites into orbit and features 3D-printed liquid engines.

Planned to be launched in early 2024, Vikram-I will be Skyroot’s second rocket, after the successful launch of the Vikram-S rocket on November 18 last year.

Skyroot’s new headquarters houses integrated design, manufacturing and testing facilities for building space launch vehicles, and design space for the 300-member strong workforce.

“Every rocket, during its travel to space, has to push through a point of maximum stress called ‘Max-Q’. Our MAX-Q headquarters serves as a powerful symbol of our unwavering commitment to pushing boundaries and accomplishing the extraordinary, all in pursuit of our mission to Open Space For All,” Pawan Chandana, co-founder and CEO of Skyroot Aerospace said.

“Skyroot is not only an example of India’s superlative talent and scientific acumen but it also has a message for all of us that a huge potential was lying dormant for several decades before Prime Minister Narendra Modi came and broke the taboos of the past and opened India’s Space Sector for Public Private Partnership (PPP),” Singh said.

The unveiling of Vikram-1 space launch vehicle on the same day as the company’s new headquarters inauguration is a moment of great pride, said Bharath Daka, Co-Founder and COO of Skyroot.

“Our design prowess and cutting-edge home-grown technology have been integral to the creation of Vikram-1. As we eagerly prepare for the early 2024 launch, we will keep sharing further updates on the orbital mission with Vikram-1,” Daka said.