Rahul Gandhi Hails Skyroot Aerospace, ISRO for Historic Vikram-1 Rocket Launch

Rahul Gandhi congratulates Skyroot Aerospace, ISRO on Vikram-1 rocket launch

New Delhi, July 18

In an X post, Rahul Gandhi termed the successful launch of the rocket as a "tribute to years of patience, precision and quiet work by scientists, engineers and technicians."

He wrote, "The successful flight of Vikram-1, India's first privately developed orbital rocket, is a tribute to years of patience, precision and quiet work by scientists, engineers and technicians. My congratulations to the remarkable young team at Skyroot Aerospace, and to everyone at ISRO and IN-SPACe who supported this mission."

"India is strongest when public institutions and private enterprise build upon each other's capabilities in the service of science and society, and when our youth are given the opportunity and trust to turn ambitious ideas into reality," the Congress leader added.

Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 Test Flight-1 has successfully reached orbit, marking the maiden flight of India's first privately developed orbital-class rocket. The mission, named "Mission Aagaman", was executed from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

Andhra Pradesh Governor S Abdul Nazeer also congratulated the team of Skyroot Aerospace for their accomplishment of 'Mission Aagaman', the successful launch of the Vikram-1 rocket, marking India's entry into a select group of nations with private orbital launch capability. The Governor wished them many more successes in the future.

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.

The 24-metre carbon-composite rocket completed all planned flight stages, including stage separations and the firing of its Orbital Adjustment Module (OAM).

The Orbital Adjustment Module fired its 3D-printed liquid engine for the final push to orbit. The module is designed to start, stop and restart in space.

During the flight--Kalam-1200, the solid first stage carried the rocket through the thickest part of the atmosphere before separating cleanly. The payload fairing was then separated, exposing the satellites to space for the first time.

The second stage, Kalam-250, completed its burn and separated, followed by the ignition of Kalam-100, the smallest and highest-flying solid stage of Vikram-1.

The solid-propulsion phase concluded with the separation of Stage 3, paving the way for the Orbital Adjustment Module to complete the mission.

The Vikram-1 rocket, powered by three solid-fuel stages and a liquid orbital adjustment module, is designed to deploy payloads up to 350 kg into a 450-km Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

The maiden flight carried multiple payloads, including the "Diamond Lotus", a lab-grown diamond from Bengaluru-based Cosmos Diamonds.

— ANI