New Delhi, 18 July (H.S.): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday congratulated Skyroot Aerospace on the successful launch of India’s first private orbital rocket, ‘Vikram-1’. He spoke over the phone with the company’s co-founders Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharat Daka and praised their achievement, saying that Skyroot had established its roots in the sky while strengthening those roots on the ground, inspiring the country’s youth.

After the successful launch of the orbital-class rocket developed by Hyderabad-based private space company Skyroot Aerospace, Prime Minister Modi spoke with co-founder Pawan Kumar Chandana from the ISRO office and described the achievement as a major step towards an ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India).

The Prime Minister said the success demonstrated that India has the capability to achieve self-reliance in the space sector with the participation of private companies. He said Skyroot’s young team had elevated India’s pride through its dedication, commitment, and hard work.

Describing the achievement as a “Vande Mataram mission”, Prime Minister Modi said the success would help provide the benefits of technology to the younger generation and inspire future innovators. He also invited the Skyroot team for a meeting in the near future.

Prime Minister Modi said, “There was a time when people mocked the idea of Aatmanirbhar Bharat due to a lack of understanding. Today, you have proved that India has the capability to become self-reliant in this sector as well. You have demonstrated that strength.”

Responding to the Prime Minister’s appreciation, Skyroot Aerospace co-founder Pawan Kumar Chandana said that this was the first time an Indian private company had successfully launched an orbital rocket. He said the achievement was the result of the collective efforts of the entire team and became possible because the government created opportunities for private participation in the space sector. He thanked the Prime Minister for supporting such initiatives.

It may be noted that the ‘Vikram-1’ rocket has been named in honour of Dr Vikram Sarabhai, the father of India’s space programme. Developed by Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace, the mission has been named ‘Mission Aagman’.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar