Vikram-1 mission showcases strength of India's growing space ecosystem: ISRO Chairman
New Delhi, July 18
The successful maiden orbital launch of Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 is a remarkable achievement for India's growing space ecosystem and reflects the rapid progress of the country's private space sector, ISRO Chairman Dr V. Narayanan said on Saturday.
Addressing the media after the successful orbital mission, Narayanan said developing an orbital launch vehicle and achieving mission success on the very first attempt within just eight years of the company's inception was an extraordinary accomplishment.
"Skyroot Aerospace started just eight years back, and developing an orbital launch vehicle and making it a successful mission on the first attempt is really a great achievement," he said.
The ISRO Chairman added that India's space ecosystem has witnessed rapid growth under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with increasing participation from private enterprises complementing the country's national space programme.
"It's a great satisfaction for everyone in our country, especially the space community. We are so proud of this great achievement. Surely, you will all agree with me that India's space ecosystem is growing under the leadership of the Prime Minister of India," Narayanan stated.
Also speaking on the occasion, Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) Chairman Pawan Goenka described the successful launch as "an India moment" rather than comparing it with milestones achieved elsewhere.
"When India will have its first SpaceX moment? I don't want to call it a SpaceX moment because I don't want to compare what happened today to something else that happened far away in a different company. What we witnessed today was an India moment," Goenka said while congratulating the Skyroot Aerospace team.
Earlier in the day, Goenka also formally announced the successful completion of India's first-ever private sector orbital launch, noting that the mission had significantly exceeded its primary objective.
"I am pleased to formally announce that the first ever Indian private sector launch has been successfully completed. Not only did Vikram-1 meet its mission objective, which was simply to clear the tower, it went all the way up to a 453-km orbit," he said.
Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace successfully launched Vikram-1 under Mission Aagaman from the First Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota earlier in the day.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Pawan Goenka's comment about calling it an "India moment" rather than comparing to SpaceX really struck a chord. We don't need to benchmark ourselves against others—our own achievements stand tall. Skyroot has shown that Indian startups can dream big and deliver. Hope this inspires more young minds to join the space sector! ✨
As someone who follows space tech globally, this is genuinely impressive. Developing an orbital vehicle from scratch in 8 years and succeeding on first try is rare—even established players often fail multiple times. India's private sector is proving it can compete. Skyroot and ISRO partnership is a model for other nations. Kudos!
Great news but let's not forget the challenges ahead. Private space sector in India still faces regulatory hurdles and funding gaps. One success is amazing, but sustainable growth needs consistent policy support. Still, today we celebrate—well done Skyroot and ISRO! 👏
This is exactly what Atmanirbhar Bharat looks like! 🚀 Not just government agencies, but our private startups are now launching satellites into orbit. The 453-km orbit achievement is incredible—they went way beyond just clearing the tower. Game changer for India's space economy. Next stop: space tourism? 😄
My namesake rocket! 😄 Seriously though, what a proud day for Hyderabad and India. Skyroot showing that homegrown talent can achieve what was once only possible for superpowers. The collaboration with ISRO and IN-SPACe is working well. Can
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