- Skyroot aims for one rocket launch per month by next year, says CEO Chandana
- Vikram-2 launch planned with triple the capacity of Vikram-1
- Skyroot became India's first private company to achieve orbital launch
As Hyderabad-based Skyroot's Vikram-1 rocket soared into space, the company is aiming for one launch a month by next year, according to Chief Executive Officer Pawan Kumar Chandana.
In an exclusive interaction with NDTV Profit, Chandana said, "second flight we are targeting later this year, we'll be doing more and more flights next year. We are getting in commercial launching going forward and our target is to get one launch a month by sometime next year."
He added, "We already have a factory which can produce one launch a month, we are yet to reach the capacity."
The company is planning the launch of Vikram-2, which is expected to have three times more capacity than Vikram-1's capacity, CEO said.
On Saturday, Skyroot Aerospace became the first Indian private company to achieve an orbital launch after successfully placing its Vikram-1 rocket into orbit, in a mission named 'Aagaman'. The achievement makes India the third country in the world, following China and the US, to have a private company capable of orbital launches.
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The four-stage rocket lifted off from ISRO's Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, with the flight lasting roughly 16 minutes.
Following the successful launch, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his wishes, describing it a "historic new frontier" for India's space programme, and noted the vehicle was built to offer rapid, on-demand launch capability.
This mission is signifcant to India as till now, orbital launches from Indian soil were the soley done by ISRO. Skyroot's success opens the door for privately built rockets to compete for satellite launch contracts.
Vikram-1 has been pitched as a dedicated, on-demand launch service for small satellites, comparing it to a cab service that lets customers choose their orbit and schedule.
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