Prime Minister Narendra Modi's handwritten postcard with 'Vande Mataram' written on it will travel to space aboard Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 Test Flight-1 on July 18, according to a private space startup.
In a post on X, Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace wrote, "Among the payloads on Vikram-1 Test Flight-1 is something truly special—a handwritten postcard from Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi with the words, "Vande Mataram." It travels to space alongside handwritten messages from our team, investors, policymakers, and well-wishers across the globe, making Mission Aagaman a celebration carried by many hands and shared by millions." [sic]
Among the payloads on Vikram-1 Test Flight-1 is something truly special—a handwritten postcard from Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi with the words, “Vande Mataram.” 🇮🇳🚀
— Skyroot Aerospace (@SkyrootA) July 17, 2026
It travels to space alongside handwritten messages from our team, investors, policymakers, and… pic.twitter.com/sJajN6NiVJ
Skyroot Aerospace on Thursday announced that it plans to launch the maiden test flight of Vikram-1, the nation's first privately developed orbital-class rocket, on July 18. The mission, called 'Agaman', will aim to validate the performance of Skyroot's orbital launch vehicle and key technologies in flight.
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In a statement, Pawan Kumar Chandana, co-founder and CEO of Skyroot Aerospace, said, "We have done everything that could be done to test Vikram-1 on ground. On 18 July, we are eager to see how Vikram-1 performs in a real flight environment for the first time."
"This is our first test flight, and we will be getting valuable data from it. This will be foundational to Skyroot's aspirations of establishing launch cadence. We are excited to see this through," he added.
Vikram-1 is a seven-storey-tall, multi-stage orbital launch vehicle built with an all-carbon composite structure and powered by in-house developed propulsion systems, including 3D-printed engines and high-thrust solid-fuel rocket boosters.
Designed to carry small satellites weighing up to 350 kg to low Earth orbit (LEO), Vikram-1's maiden mission will target an orbit at an altitude of 450 km with a 60-degree orbital inclination.
The launch will mark Skyroot's second mission following the successful suborbital flight of Vikram-S, the first private rocket to reach space from Indian soil, on November 18, 2022.
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(with inputs from PTI)
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