"Made in Bharat" chips for space rockets soon, says Ashwini Vaishnaw
New Delhi, July 28
India will soon equip its space launch vehicles with domestically produced semiconductors, according to Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
On Monday, meeting the heads of private space technology company Skyroot Aerospace, after its Vikram-1 Test Flight-1 successfully reached orbit, marking the maiden flight of India's first privately developed orbital-class rocket, Vaishnaw said on X, "'Made in Bharat' chips for our rockets... soon!"
Replying to the post by the Union Minister on X, Skyroot acknowledged the government support and stated, "Honoured to meet Hon'ble Union Minister Shri @AshwiniVaishnaw. India's deep-tech ecosystem is accelerating -- powered by forward-looking reforms, world-class digital infrastructure, and a strong commitment to innovation."
The company further expressed its commitment to domestic hardware integration, stating, "Skyroot is proud to contribute by building globally competitive space technology from India. We look forward to the day India-built chips fly on our rockets."
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also had a "great interaction" with Skyroot Aerospace founders Pawan Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka and discussed the success of the Vikram-1 mission and the future of India's private space sector.
In a post on X, Modi said he had a "great interaction" with Chandana and Daka, adding that the "success of Vikram-1 naturally featured prominently" in their discussion.
"A great interaction with Pawan Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka of Skyroot Aerospace. The success of Vikram-1 naturally featured prominently in our discussion, in addition to many other interesting subjects. Happy to hear about their journey so far and their insights on what lies ahead. Their energy, ambition and positivity reflect the vibrant spirit of our private space ecosystem. Best wishes to the entire Skyroot team," PM Modi wrote on X.
Skyroot Aerospace also posted about the meeting on X, saying its founders had the privilege of sharing the company's journey, Vikram-1's successful mission and its vision for the future of space with PM Modi.
"An honour to meet Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi. Our founders, Pawan Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka, had the privilege of sharing Skyroot's journey, Vikram-1's successful mission, and our vision for the future of space," he wrote on X.
On July 18, Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 Test Flight-1 successfully reached orbit, marking the maiden flight of India's first privately developed orbital-class rocket. The rocket completed its final burn and injected its payloads into a nearly 450-km orbit, making India the third country in the world with private orbital launch capability.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Impressive progress from India's space industry. The combination of government support and private innovation like Skyroot is a powerful model. Looking forward to seeing these domestically produced chips in action during future launches.
While this is exciting, I hope the government also focuses on ensuring these 'Made in Bharat' chips are cost-competitive and reliable. We don't want any delays in space missions due to quality issues. But overall, a step in the right direction for Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Skyroot Aerospace and PM Modi discussing the future of private space sector gives me hope. We are truly entering a new era where Indian startups are reaching for stars. Vikram-1's success already put us on global map. Now indigenous chips will take us further! 🚀
Good initiative but we need to see the timeline. Semiconductors are complex and making space-grade chips is even harder. Hopefully the government's chip fabrication push under the PLI scheme will complement this. Let's hope for concrete results soon.
This is exactly the kind of forward-looking policy that other countries should emulate. India is proving that private-public partnerships can accelerate space technology development. The 'Made in Bharat' branding also adds a nice touch of national pride.
A Arun Y