India launches first private space rocket

Today, November 18, Space Agency of India spent the successful launch of the country’s first rocket built by a private company. The Vikram-S single-stage spacecraft was created by four-year-old Indian startup Skyroot Aerospace.

The first flight under the Prarambh (Start) program is suborbital – a six-meter Vikram-S rocket weighing 550 kg reached an altitude of 89.5 km and splashed into the ocean at a distance of 121 km from the launch center at the Space Center. Satish Dhawan, located on the island of Sriharikota in the Bay of Bengal. It is reported that all stages of the launch were completed normally. In the future, Skyroot Aerospace plans to launch rockets into Earth orbit – the Vikram-1, Vikram-2 and Vikram-3 ships are in development.

In June 2020, Indian authorities passed a law allowing private companies to use the infrastructure of the country’s Space Agency to launch their rockets. After that, Skyroot Aerospace began to create the country’s first private rocket. To do this, the company attracted investments in the amount of about $ 51 million. In total, according to TechCrunchIndian space startups, including Skyroot Aerospace, have already raised investments totaling around $250 million.

Evgeniy Khvostik