Privately-made Vikram-S launched
INDIA successfully launched its first privately developed rocket, the Vikram-S, on Friday (18), a milestone in the country’s effort to create a commercial space industry and to compete on cost.
The 545-kg rocket, developed by space startup Skyroot, took off from the Indian space agency’s launch site near Chennai and hit a peak altitude of 89.5km.
The rocket has the capability of reaching Mach 5 - five times the speed of sound - and carrying a payload of 83 kg to an altitude of 100km, the company said.
The Skyroot team had set a target of 80 km for its first launch, a benchmark some agencies define as the frontier of space. The Karman line - set by an international aeronautics body as defining the boundary between the Earth’s atmosphere and space - is at 100 km altitude.
Video footage showed the rocket taking off from the space centre, leaving a plume of smoke and fire in its trail. It splashed down in the Bay of Bengal about 5 minutes after launch, officials said.
‘I’m happy to announce the successful completion of Mission Prarambh, the beginning,’ said Pawan Goenka, who chairs the Indian government agency that coordinates private-sector space activities.