- India's first private orbital rocket, Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram 1, is ready for launch at Sriharikota
- The 23-metre rocket uses advanced carbon composites and can carry payloads up to 350 kilograms
- Vikram 1 carries experimental payloads including debris removal tech and tributes to Indian scientists
India's first privately built orbital rocket is ready on the launchpad at Sriharikota, awaiting what could become a historic moment for the country's space sector.
Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram 1 rocket, developed by a young team of engineers from Hyderabad, is set to attempt a feat that only a few private companies worldwide have achieved. The launch vehicle is a 23-metre-tall rocket with a diameter of 1.7 metres. It is built entirely with an advanced carbon composite structure and is capable of carrying payloads of up to 350 kilograms. The rocket uses a three-stage solid configuration along with a liquid-fuelled orbital adjustment module or OAM and carries a series of test payloads on board.
Skyroot Aerospace CEO and co-founder Pawan Chandana was confident about the vehicle's readiness.
"The rocket is ready and it is very safe. It is in good health and we are targeting to take off as soon as possible," Chandana told NDTV in an exclusive interview at the Indian spaceport in Sriharikota.
"We have done everything possible within our best wisdom. We have taken care of all the systems well. The rocket parts started coming several weeks ago and our phenomenal team was here in the campaign building the rocket, stacking the rocket on the launch pad and now we are ready to take off."
For India, the launch represents the arrival of a new era, where private enterprise can build, test and launch orbital-class rockets from Indian soil.
Chandana described the upcoming flight as a watershed moment not only for Skyroot but for India's increasingly vibrant commercial space ecosystem. Chandana says, "Vikram 1 is made in India, but made for the world".
"It is a historical moment because a private company starting from scratch by a young team, in fact the average age of Skyroot is 28 years, all of them coming together with a big mission and designing a rocket, manufacturing a rocket, assembling, testing, coming to the spaceport of India and stacking the rocket on the launch pad and ensuring that the rocket is in great health for launch itself is a phenomenal milestone," he said.
"The moment it takes off, I think it is going to be an unprecedented event in India's space where a private company has attempted an orbital launch where very few companies in the world are operating."
Unlike many maiden test flights that carry either dummy masses or fly nearly empty, Vikram 1 carries a variety of experimental and symbolic payloads.
Among the most unusual payloads is what Chandana jokingly referred to as a chance to finally place a "diamond in the sky."
"One of the companies has come up with that concept. They say a diamond in the sky, and now there is an opportunity for putting a diamond in the sky," he said.
The mission also carries tributes to India's scientific pioneers. According to Chandana, miniature artworks of three towering figures in Indian science are being flown aboard the rocket.
"There is a miniature artwork of three of the greatest scientists India ever had. Dr Vikram A Sarabhai, who is my personal inspiration. The rocket is named after Vikram Sarabhai. Then we have Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and Dr C V Raman's miniature sculptures going to space as a tribute to them."
The mission's scientific objectives are equally significant.
Among the payloads is a technology demonstration aimed at tackling one of the growing threats in modern spaceflight, orbital debris.
"There is one special payload which is going to test debris removal technology. It has robotic arms which are going to be demonstrated in space and remove debris," Chandana revealed.
The mission will also carry satellites and several experimental systems intended to validate technologies in orbit.
"Multiple payloads are launching, including two satellites. There is another test satellite and there are payloads which test mechanisms. It is going to be a good scientific mission. Of course they are all test payloads on a test launch."
For Skyroot, however, the primary objective remains the rocket itself.
"The most important object of the mission is to take off and prove as many systems as possible in flight. Then we are readying ourselves for the next test launch," Chandana said.
The launch also reflects India's transformation in space policy since private sector participation was opened up.
For decades, orbital rocket development remained exclusively within the domain of ISRO. Today, startups such as Skyroot are emerging as key players in a rapidly expanding commercial space market.
Chandana credited policy reforms and government support for making the mission possible. "InSpace has a streamlined process. Thanks to the regulators, they are enabling this journey and streamlining the entire process so that regulation is not a bottleneck anymore in the space sector."
He also expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for opening the doors of the space sector to private players.
"A special thank you to the Honourable Prime Minister Modi. His vision to build India as a space powerhouse and open up the sector to private players has enabled Skyroot's mission where we are able to put an orbital rocket on the launch pad."
Chandana added that the Prime Minister's ambition for India to substantially increase its launch cadence over the coming years serves as an inspiration.
"He has put a very strong goal that India should do 50 launches in 2030. Vikram 1 will make a significant mark with this launch and upcoming launches so that we get to that vision."
Vikram 1 is also carrying a specially written message from Prime Minister Narendra Modi into space. "As a tribute, we have a special card which has come from Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself, which is going to go to space. He has written a phenomenal message and that is going to go to space along with the rocket," Chandana disclosed.
