<p>The launch of Vikram-S, India’s first privately developed rocket, from ISRO’s launch pad in Sriharikota recently marked an important landmark in the country’s foray into space. Developed by a four-year-old Hyderabad-based start-up, Skyroot Aerospace, it is the first in a series of much larger rockets to come. The rocket, named after the father of the country’s space programme, Vikram Sarabhai, marks the completion of Mission Prarambh. There were three payloads in it, two owned by domestic customers and one by a foreign client. This included a 2.5-kg payload belonging to Chennai-based space start-up Spacekidz and which has been developed by students from India, the US, Singapore, and Indonesia. The country’s space programme has till now been the monopoly of State-run ISRO. But India is a country which has many needs, possibilities, talents and potential in the space sector that are beyond the scope and capacity of a single government organisation to meet and realise. </p>.<p>The role of the private sector in space research and enterprise has been best demonstrated in the US, where private companies like SpaceX have made a mark technologically and in terms of business. The Vikram mission will open up new possibilities in India. Various institutions and agencies such as universities, businesses and research labs need information, and small satellites and rockets developed indigenously and cost-effectively are the answer to their needs. The satellites can be launched on vehicles like Vikram and the benefits to business, economy and science and technology are immense. There is going to be an expansion of activities in the sector, and according to government estimates more than 20,000 small satellites will be launched in the next decade. They can be built without much effort and at a low cost. Skyroot exemplified the spirit when it said that in the coming years, satellite launches will become as commonplace as booking a cab. </p>.<p>ISRO has helped private players by offering its facilities for testing and for launch of rockets and satellites. Agnikul Cosmos, a Chennai-based start-up, recently test-fired its first rocket engine from the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram. It is planning for the commercial launch of its rocket, Agnibaan, very soon. The headquarters of the Ahmedabad-based Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), the country's promoter for what has come to be known as New Space, was inaugurated this year. It is a nodal agency for promotion, encouragement and regulation of space activities of government and private entities. It will also facilitate the use of ISRO facilities by private operators. Space opens up many possibilities and the country, with more than 350 firms in the space sector, should be in a position to make use of them. </p>
<p>The launch of Vikram-S, India’s first privately developed rocket, from ISRO’s launch pad in Sriharikota recently marked an important landmark in the country’s foray into space. Developed by a four-year-old Hyderabad-based start-up, Skyroot Aerospace, it is the first in a series of much larger rockets to come. The rocket, named after the father of the country’s space programme, Vikram Sarabhai, marks the completion of Mission Prarambh. There were three payloads in it, two owned by domestic customers and one by a foreign client. This included a 2.5-kg payload belonging to Chennai-based space start-up Spacekidz and which has been developed by students from India, the US, Singapore, and Indonesia. The country’s space programme has till now been the monopoly of State-run ISRO. But India is a country which has many needs, possibilities, talents and potential in the space sector that are beyond the scope and capacity of a single government organisation to meet and realise. </p>.<p>The role of the private sector in space research and enterprise has been best demonstrated in the US, where private companies like SpaceX have made a mark technologically and in terms of business. The Vikram mission will open up new possibilities in India. Various institutions and agencies such as universities, businesses and research labs need information, and small satellites and rockets developed indigenously and cost-effectively are the answer to their needs. The satellites can be launched on vehicles like Vikram and the benefits to business, economy and science and technology are immense. There is going to be an expansion of activities in the sector, and according to government estimates more than 20,000 small satellites will be launched in the next decade. They can be built without much effort and at a low cost. Skyroot exemplified the spirit when it said that in the coming years, satellite launches will become as commonplace as booking a cab. </p>.<p>ISRO has helped private players by offering its facilities for testing and for launch of rockets and satellites. Agnikul Cosmos, a Chennai-based start-up, recently test-fired its first rocket engine from the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram. It is planning for the commercial launch of its rocket, Agnibaan, very soon. The headquarters of the Ahmedabad-based Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), the country's promoter for what has come to be known as New Space, was inaugurated this year. It is a nodal agency for promotion, encouragement and regulation of space activities of government and private entities. It will also facilitate the use of ISRO facilities by private operators. Space opens up many possibilities and the country, with more than 350 firms in the space sector, should be in a position to make use of them. </p>
