India’s first privately developed Rocket, Vikram-Suborbital (VKS) or Vikram S Rocket has been successfully launched by ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) on Friday, 18 November 2022 at 11.30 am from the spaceport in Andhra Pradesh, Sriharikota.
This is a first ever private rocket launch taking place in India, symbolising the beginning of new era of the Indian Space Sector. Designed and developed by Skyroot Aerospace, an Indian Space-Tech startup, Vikram S Rocket is the first rocket in this series. The rocket has been named after the Father of India’s Space Programme, Vikram Sarabhai and the mission has been named “Prarambh” which means “the beginning”.
The Hyderabad based company Skyroot Aerospace has become the first Indian company to launch a rocket with the support from ISRO and IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre). Founded in the year 2018, Skyroot was the first space startup that had signed an agreement to use Indian Space Research Organization launch and test facilities. The Co-Founder of Skyroot Aerospace, Pawan Kumar Chandana says, we have made a history by launching India’s first private rocket. This successful launch is the symbol of new India and the Prarambh (beginning) of the great future ahead. The Union Minister Jitendra Singh also attended this historic launch and said, “This is indeed a new prarambh (start) for the private space sector. This is a turning point in India ‘s startup movement.”
Vikram S Rocket
Vikram S Rocket is a 6-metre tall single stage fuel rocket which is meant to test the systems and processes of the upcoming Skyroot Aerospace’s projects which are scheduled for the next year 2023. According to Skyroot Aersopace, Vikram is a series of modular Space launch vehicles, crafted for the small satellite market. The company states that in the coming decade, Over 20,000 small satellites are estimated to be launched and the series of Vikram S Rocket is designed to accomplish this through unprecedented affordability and mass producibility.
Powered by solid fuelled propulsion, a carbon fibre core structure and cutting-edge avionics, Vikram-S is developed by a team of 200-engineers within a record time of two years. Vikram-S has a mass of 545 kgs, diameter of 0.375 meters, length of 6m and it is one of the most affordable rockets that fits in this category, globally.
The Vikram vehicles leading technology architecture offers unique capabilities such as interplanetary missions and multi orbit insertion while providing customized, dedicated and ride share options covering a wide spectrum of small satellite customer needs. With its lift off the rocket has crossed the target of 80km above sea level and reached a peak altitude of 89.5km. Vikram S Rocket has the capability to reach Mach 5, five times the speed of sound.
Vikram S Rocket today’s launch is the sub-orbital one. It means that the vehicle will reach the outer space and would not remain in orbit around the Earth. According to sources, a rocket can carry a payload of 83 kg to 100 kilometers. The rocket lifts off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, carrying three payloads out of which two domestic payloads are built by Chennai and Andhra Pradesh-based start-ups Space Kids and N Space Tech India and the other is from the Armenian BazoomQ Space Research Lab.
The rocket launch will help in validating and testing the majority of the technologies in coming Skyroot’s Vikram series of orbital class space launch vehicles which would include many sub-systems and technologies that to be tested across the pre-lift off and post-lift off phases of the launch. The company is set to focus on tests of various systems that would go into building and launching Vikram-I. Skyroot is planning to launch multiple missions in the coming years and hopes to do 18 launches in 2026. The four launches are targeted next year in 2023 and eight in 2024 and 12 in 2025.
