Governor, Naidu, Lokesh Laud Skyroot's Orbital Mission
Congratulating the Skyroot Aerospace team, Governor Abdul Nazeer described the mission as a historic milestone and wished the company greater success in its future endeavours.
Sriharikota:Andhra Pradesh Governor S. Abdul Nazeer, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and IT and Education Minister Nara Lokesh on Saturday hailed Skyroot Aerospace's successful launch of Vikram-1, describing it as a landmark achievement that has placed India's private space sector among a select group of nations with independent orbital launch capability.
The Vikram-1 rocket, India's first privately developed four-stage orbital launch vehicle, lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota at 12.05 pm under Mission Aagaman and successfully placed multiple technology demonstration payloads and commemorative postcards, including one from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, into low-Earth orbit.
Congratulating the Skyroot Aerospace team, Governor Abdul Nazeer described the mission as a historic milestone and wished the company greater success in its future endeavours.
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said the successful maiden orbital mission demonstrated that India's private space sector was ready to stand alongside the world's best.
"Heartiest congratulations to Skyroot, ISRO, IN-SPACe, NSIL and the thousands of scientists, engineers, technicians and partners whose vision, perseverance and excellence made this remarkable achievement possible," the Chief Minister said in a post on X.
He said the mission marked the beginning of a new era in which India's scientific institutions and private entrepreneurs were together pushing the boundaries of innovation.
Calling it a proud moment for every Indian and an inspiration for young innovators, Naidu wished continued success for India's space programme.
IT and education minister Nara Lokesh witnessed the launch from the Mission Control Centre along with his son Nara Devansh, while hundreds of school students and young space enthusiasts watched the launch from the viewing gallery.
Congratulating the Skyroot team, Lokesh said witnessing Vikram-1 successfully reach orbit on its maiden mission was a matter of immense pride.
"This is just the beginning. As Skyroot grows bigger, Andhra Pradesh will grow with them. We remain committed to building the ecosystem that will help themand many more space pioneers reach even greater heights," he said.
In another post on X, Lokesh recalled his first meeting with the Skyroot founders in Visakhapatnam and said their ambition had convinced the state government to support the company. He said the government had approved a start-up-friendly package and envisioned the proposed Space City at Tirupati with companies such as Skyroot playing a central role.
