India achieved a major milestone in its space programme as Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace successfully launched Vikram-1, the country’s first privately developed orbital-class rocket, from Sriharikota. After a brief planned hold in the countdown, the rocket lifted off at 12:05 pm and accurately deployed multiple technology demonstration satellites into a 450-km Low Earth Orbit in under 20 minutes. The mission validated Vikram-1’s key technologies and marked India as only the third country, after the United States and China, to achieve private orbital launch capability. The four-stage rocket, comprising three solid-fuel stages and an orbital adjustment module, carried experimental payloads rather than dummy cargo, underscoring confidence in the vehicle's capabilities. It also transported a handwritten postcard from Prime Minister Narendra Modi bearing the message "Vande Mataram." Following the launch, Prime Minister Modi congratulated Skyroot founders Pawan Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka, calling the mission a validation of the government's decision to open India's space sector to private players. Union Minister Jitendra Singh described the achievement as India's entry into the highly competitive global commercial space market, while industry leaders hailed it as evidence of the country's growing private space ecosystem and its capability to build advanced space technologies. (ICE NEW DELHI)

Fonte notizia: Indian Express