India's Private Rocket Company Aims to Revolutionize Space Access with 'Cab to Orbit' Vision Skyroot Aerospace, India's first space tech unicorn with a $1.1 billion valuation, is set to make history with its first orbital launch on Saturday. The company's Vikram-1 rocket, named after Vikram Sarabhai—the father of India's space program—will attempt to reach Low Earth Orbit from the Indian Space Research Organisation's (Isro) Sriharikota launch facility. Scheduled for liftoff at 11:30 India time [06:00 GMT], the mission marks a pivotal moment for India's private space sector, positioning the nation as the third country, alongside the U.S. and China, to have a private company capable of orbital launches. The seven-story rocket, designed to carry payloads of up to 350kg, aims to fulfill Skyroot's vision of offering a "cab service to space." This model allows companies to book dedicated missions for small satellites, bypassing the traditional reliance on large rockets with fixed schedules. Co-founder and CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana described the approach as akin to hailing a taxi instead of waiting for a train, emphasizing the need to reduce the lengthy wait times for satellite launches. "Access to space remains a major bottleneck," Chandana told the BBC, noting that satellite operators often face delays of months or even years for launch opportunities. The Vikram-1 mission, part of Skyroot's test flight series called Aagman (Sanskrit for "arrival"), will deploy six payloads into orbit. These include scientific instruments such as a robotic arm for space debris removal, an Earth observation camera, and satellites from a German company.#isro #skyroot_aerospace #vikram_1 #pawan_kumar_chandana #sriharikota
