Skyroot Creates History! Vikram-1 Becomes India's First Private Orbital Rocket | #thehardfacts

Video from the channel CNN-News18 about Vikram-I, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 13:56. Language: English. Video type: News.

CNN-News18 interview with Naga Bharath Daka, co-founder of Skyroot Aerospace, following the maiden flight of Vikram-1, the first orbital-class rocket from an Indian private company. Daka explains that the initial goal was modest — clear the pad and gather data — but the rocket went through stage separations and reached orbit on its first attempt. He recounts a hold in the automated launch sequence caused by a non-critical mismatch in an update, which was fixed before the countdown resumed.

Skyroot was founded in 2018, before the space reforms, and in 2022 sent the Vikram-S to space on the Prarambh mission, six months after the creation of the IN-SPACe regulator. Since then the team has grown from about 200 people to more than 1,000. Daka highlights ISRO's support: the first stage, the largest monolithic solid motor developed in India, was tested at its facilities, and its ground station network received onboard telemetry and imagery.

The company aims for a cadence of one launch a month the following year and to contribute to the national goal of 50 launches a year by 2030. Daka regards SpaceX as an inspiration and points to reusable rockets as the next challenge.