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The successful maiden launch of Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 rocket has firmly established that Indian private companies are now capable of undertaking complex orbital launches, Lt General A.K. Bhat (Retd), Director General of the Indian Space Association (ISpA), said in an exclusive interview with ANI on Wednesday.
Bhat said rocket technology is among the most difficult and complex domains to master, making Skyroot's success on its very first attempt a landmark achievement that establishes the credibility of India's private space sector on the global stage. On which companies are set to follow, Bhat said Agnikul Cosmos is expected to launch its own rocket soon, having already completed a pre-orbital test launch. He noted that Agnikul's rocket is designed to be reusable, which would significantly reduce launch costs. He added that more than five other Indian companies, including Azista-BST Aerospace, Pixxel, and Dhruva Space have already launched satellites, with more launches expected from the private sector in the coming years. On the broader message sent by Vikram-1's launch, Bhat said the key takeaway is that India's private space industry is now capable of offering independent launch services, not just domestically but globally. Asked about Reliance Jio's in-principle approval from IN-SPACe to launch a constellation of 1,600 low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites, Bhat called it a strongly positive development. He said an Indian company deploying a constellation of 1,600 satellites would be a significant step toward self-reliance, or Atmanirbharta, in the space sector, and expressed hope that other Indian companies would follow suit with similar ventures. (ANI)
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