In a statement on Wednesday just ahead of the launch, the minister said space startup Skyroot Aerospace has developed the Vikram-suborbital (VKS) rocket, which is a single-stage spin-stabilised solid propellant rocket with mass of 550 kg and that Skyroot was the first startup to sign an MoU with Isro for launching its rockets.
Jitendra Singh said apart from being the country’s first private launch, it will also be the maiden mission of Skyroot Aerospace, named “Prarambh”. It will carry a total of three payloads in space, including one from the foreign customers.
Singh said “this will be a major milestone in the journey of Isro after PM Narendra Modi had unlocked the space sector in India two years ago for private participation”.
He said space reforms have unleashed innovative potentials for startups. “In a short span of time, from just a few space startups 3-4 years ago, today we have 102 startups working in cutting-edge areas of space debris management, nano-satellite, launch vehicle, ground systems and research,” he said.
The minister said with the integration of R&D, academia and industry with equal stake, it is safe to say that a space revolution led by Isro along with the private sector is on the horizon.
He referred to several applications of space technology in different sectors like railways, highways, agriculture, water mapping, smart cities, telemedicine and robotic surgery, which brought ‘ease of living’ for common man.