India's first privately constructed rocket, the Vikram-S, will be launched into space by space technology startup Skyroot Aerospace between November 12 and November 16. Three client payloads will be carried on Skyroot's first flight, "Prambh (the beginning)," which will be launched from Sriharikota. One of the three payloads is a 2.5 kg satellite made by kids in India, the US, and Indonesia for another space firm called Space Kidz India.
Skyroot Aerospace CEO and co-founder Pawan Kumar Chandana said: “Vikram-S is a single stage suborbital test rocket that will be powered by India’s first carbon-fibre-built solid fuel engine. It is being launched to test the technologies in the Vikram series of space vehicles we have developed. ” The Vikram-S rocket has received technical launch clearance from space regulator IN-SPACe.
“The three payloads include one for an international non-profit space research lab that wants to launch its educational payload built by students of their country. The remaining two payloads are from India, including one for Indian aerospace startup Space Kidz India,” said Chandana. Buoyed by the upcoming launch, Space Kidz India tweeted: “Congratulations @SkyrootA, we're thrilled and very happy to have our payloads flying aboard this historic mission, making a significant milestone in the commercial space sector of the country.”
According to Skyroot Aerospace COO and co-founder Naga Bharath Daka, Vikram-S will aid in testing and validating the majority of the technology used in the Vikram family of space launch vehicles. The company was the first Indian startup to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Isro for sharing the latter's facilities and knowledge. It was created by former Isro scientists. “We could build and get Vikram-S mission ready in such a short time only because of the invaluable support we received from Isro and INSPACe, and the technology talent that we inherently possess,” Chandana said.
