The Prarambh mission is aimed at carrying three payloads including a 2.5-kilogram payload developed by students from many countries. (Photo credit: Skyroot)
Vikram-S, India's first privately developed rocket, has got its launch date. It is set to take off on November 15 on a sub-orbital mission with three payloads, Skyroot Aerospace Hyderabad-based space startup announced. This mission by Skyroot is named 'Prarambh' (the beginning) and it will carry payloads of two Indian and one foreign customers and is set for launch from the Indian Space Research Organisation's launchpad at Sriharikota.
In a significant push to provide an efficient platform to private companies in the space sector, India is going to launch its first privately developed rocket from the Indian Space Research Organisation's launching station at Sriharikota . This project is dubbed the 'Prarambh' mission. The rocket is named after the prominent Indian scientist Vikram Sarabhai and called 'Vikram S'. It is developed by a Hyderabad-based startup Skyroot Aerospace and will be launched on a sub-orbital mission with three payloads. It was earlier slated to be launched on November 15 but is postponed. Now, the next likely date is November 18, 2022.
With 18 Nov '22 marked on calendars by space enthusiasts across the world, get a feel of the spin stabilization system of Vikram-S rocket which awaits its big day, successfully tested on 15 Oct '22. Stay tuned for more.#Prarambh #OpeningSpaceForAll pic.twitter.com/vpxZ3OMhh4
— Skyroot Aerospace (@SkyrootA) November 15, 2022
The mission is scheduled to launch on November 18 at 11:30 am from the Indian Space Research Centre's Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota to demonstrate the capability of the private sector in the country in acing space missions and shouldering Isro's future burden.
With this mission, Skyroot is set to become the first private space company in India to launch a rocket into space, heralding a new era for the space sector which was opened up in 2020 to facilitate private sector participation. Based in Hyderabad, Skyroot was the first startup to sign a memorandum of understanding with ISRO for launching its rockets. It aims to disrupt entry barriers to cost-efficient satellite launch services and space-flight by advancing its mission to make spaceflights affordable, reliable and regular for all, the statement said.
There it is!
Catch a glimpse of our Vikram-S at the rocket integration facility at Sriharikota, as it gets ready for the momentous day. Weather seems great for the launch on 18 Nov 11:30 AM.#Prarambh #OpeningSpaceForAll pic.twitter.com/b0nptNlA1N— Skyroot Aerospace (@SkyrootA) November 14, 2022
The #Prarambh mission will see three payloads hitching a ride onboard the Vikram-S rocket to an altitude of 120 kilometers above the surface of Earth.
Chinese rocket falls from space, crash lands in Pacific ocean
