New Delhi, July 18 (IANS). ISRO Chairman Dr V Narayanan on Saturday said the first successful orbital launch of Skyroot Aerospace’s Vikram-1 is a major achievement for India’s rapidly growing space ecosystem and reflects the rapid progress of the country’s private space sector.
Interacting with the media after the successful orbital mission, Dr. Narayanan said that it is an extraordinary achievement for the company to develop an orbital launch vehicle within just 8 years of its establishment and succeed in the mission in the very first attempt.
He said, “Skyroot Aerospace was started only 8 years ago. To develop an orbital launch vehicle in such a short time and achieve mission success in the first attempt is indeed a great achievement.”
ISRO Chairman said that India’s space ecosystem has developed rapidly under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Along with the national space program, now private companies are also playing an important role in this.
He said, “This is a moment of immense satisfaction and pride for the entire country, especially the space community. We are proud of this wonderful achievement. You will all agree that India’s space ecosystem is continuously strengthening under the leadership of the Prime Minister.”
Speaking on the occasion, Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACE) Chairman Pawan Goenka also described the successful launch as “India’s own historic moment” rather than comparing it with any other country’s achievement.
He said, “People ask when will India’s first SpaceX-like moment come. I don’t want to call it a SpaceX moment, because what happened today should not be compared with the achievements of any other company or any other country. Today we have seen India’s own historic moment.”
Earlier in the day, Pawan Goenka formally declared the success of India’s first private orbital launch, saying the mission had even outperformed its original target.
He said, “I am happy to formally announce that India’s first private sector orbital launch has been successfully completed. Vikram-1 not only achieved its mission target but also reached a 453 km high orbit directly after lift-off from the launch tower.”
Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace on Saturday successfully launched Vikram-1 under ‘Mission Aagaman’ from the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota.
–IANS
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