India is emerging as a great space nation

Vikram-S, India’s first private rocket, lifted off Friday from the island of Andhra Pradesh. -/AFP

New Delhi, aiming for the Moon and Mars, is celebrating the maiden flight of its first private rocket.

“A new beginning, and even a new dawn (…) for the Indian space project.” Jitendra Singh, Minister of Science, did not hide his pride and enthusiasm Friday after the successful liftoff of India’s first private rocket. The Vikram-S, a half ton launcher, took off from the southern island of Andhra Pradesh. And reached an altitude of 90 km, the frontier of space, before sinking into the sea.

This demonstration flight paved the way for other shots into increasingly higher orbits. This rocket symbolizes Indian revival, to establish itself as a great space country. In this highly demanding field, all launchers, during version, conquer space gradually, to achieve geostationary orbit (GEO, 36,000 km from Earth). The Vikram-S, designed by startup Skyroot Aerospace, illustrates the dynamism of Indian NewSpace as well as the excellence of Indian engineers. Under Isro’s leadership, the space agency…

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