Developed over two years by Skyroot Aerospace, a company started in 2018 when India’s space sector was not yet open to private players, Vikram-S is a single stage solid fuel rocket meant to test nearly 80 per cent of all systems and processes before the launch of Vikram-1 scheduled for next year.

The launch on Friday will be sub-orbital, with the vehicle travelling slower than orbital velocity. This means that while the vehicle will reach outer space, it will not remian in orbit around the Earth. The flight will take less than five minutes.

On the other hand, Vikram-1 will be a much larger vehicle that will undertake orbital flights.

The Vikram series of rockets developed by Skyroot is named after Vikram Sarabhai, the founder of the Indian space programme. These rockets are among the few launch vehicles in the world which have their core structure built using carbon composites. The thrusters used for spin stability in the vehicle have been 3D printed.

The engine used in the launch vehicle was named after former president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. The performance of the ‘Kalam-80’ will be one of the key areas that the company monitors during the flight of Vikram-S.

“Skyroot has been developing cutting-edge technologies for our space launch vehicles like carbon composites and 3D printing. And (we) have attempted to realise them within the Indian industry. Manufacturing to the required quality standards, within timelines hampered by Covid-19 and other factors, have been quite challenging in this journey,” Skyroot said in a email.

“This project gives us a lot of pride in becoming the first private rocket builder to launch in the Indian space sector…,” the company said.

Regarding the entry of private players in the space sector in India, ISRO chairperson S Somanath said on Thursday that around 100 start-ups have registered with the space agency and are working closely with it in “various domains of the space sector”.

Speaking at the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2022, he said that a significant number of companies have the potential to become big players in the space sector and that ISRO is playing the role of facilitator for them and helping them in building technologies.

He also said that preparations were underway for the launch of Vikram-S from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. Vikram-S will carry three satellites, including one by SpaceKidz India called FunSat, parts of which were developed by school students.

“Rockets are very complex vehicles, and like every complex technology, it can also go wrong, based on various reasons. But we have backed our build with the best of technology and skills, and so we believe that the launch will be a success, and that Vikram-S will chart new history for Indian private space sector,” Skyroot said.

— With ENS, Bengaluru