All You Need To Know About India’s First Private Rocket Vikram-S.

India's first private rocket, Vikram-S, developed by Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace, is scheduled to take off from the Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) Sriharikota launchpad between November 12 and 16. 

Skyroot Aerospace's debut launch, dubbed "Prarambh" (the beginning), will be a suborbital spaceflight, transporting three client payloads. 

Thrilled to announce #Prarambh, our maiden launch mission, also the first for the Indian private space sector, with launch window between 12-16 Nov '22. Thanks to Chairman @isro for unveiling our mission patch and @INSPACeIND for all the support.

Stay tuned🚀#OpeningSpaceForAll pic.twitter.com/xha83Ki2k0

— Skyroot Aerospace (@SkyrootA) November 8, 2022

The rocket, Vikram-S, will be the nation's first space launch vehicle developed and run exclusively by a private enterprise. This will signal the beginning of a new era for the space industry, which was liberalized by the government in June 2020 to allow for private-sector participation. 

What Is Vikram-S?

Vikram-S, named after Vikram Sarabhai, the Father of the Indian Space Programme, is a small-lift launch vehicle being developed by Skyroot Aerospace, an Indian startup in the aerospace business. 

According to Naga Bharath Daka, Chief Operating Officer of Skyroot Aerospace, the Vikram-S rocket is a single-stage sub-orbital launch vehicle that will carry three client payloads and assist test and verifying most of the technology in the Vikram family of space launch vehicles.

A sub-orbital spaceflight is when a spacecraft leaves the gravitational field from which it was launched and travels through space on a trajectory that crosses the atmosphere or surface of that body. As a result, the spacecraft is unable to complete an orbit. 

Typically, a suborbital spaceflight is carried out at a lower altitude than an orbital one, often at a height of around 100 kilometers above the Earth's surface. 

Before actual commercial missions take place, suborbital flights are thought to be crucial for completing space mission experiments.

The  CEO and co-founder of Skyroot Aerospace, Pawan Kumar Chandana said, "A launch window between November 12 and 16 has been notified by authorities, the final date being confirmed based on weather conditions."

IN-SPACe, India's central organization for promoting and governing space-tech players, has already granted Skyroot a technical launch permission. 

Skyroot has been working on three different Vikram rocket versions. The Vikram-I can launch with 480 kilograms of payload, whereas the Vikram-II is designed to do so with 595 kilos and Vikram-III has a 500 km Low Inclination Orbit launch capability with 815 kg. 

The start-up is building modern space launch vehicles to send commercial satellites into orbit. By expanding its objective to make spaceflights accessible, dependable, and frequent for everyone, it seeks to remove obstacles to entry for inexpensive satellite launch services and space travel.