India has now officially taken a step towards the privatization of it's aerospace industry by backing the launch of a privately owned rocket, Vikram-S. Owned by a Hyderabad-based startup, Skyroot Aerospace, the rocket, Vikram-S was named after renowned astronomer and physicist Vikram Sarabhai and was launched under the 'Prarambh' mission of the Indian Space Program.
The rocket was launched on November 18, Friday, at 11:30 am, from ISRO's sounding rocket launch pad at its facility in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
The 6-metre-long, sub-orbital spaceflight weighed 545 kg, and reached an altitude of 89.5 km, successfully delivering three payloads from Space Kidz India, Bazoomq Armenia, and N-Space Tech India. Thrusted using solid fuel, the rocket was able to cover a trajectory of 121.2 km before safely splashing into the Bay of Bengal.
Furthermore, the mission also validated the technology that will be used by Skyroot Aerospace for its next spaceflight mission Vikram-1, planned for the next year.
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