Bengaluru, India: Indian startup Skyroot Aerospace said Thursday it would hold the maiden test flight of the country's first privately developed orbital-class rocket in the coming weeks.
The Vikram-1 rocket, designed to carry small satellites into low-Earth orbit, will lift off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota between July 12 and August 4, the company said.
"The countdown to history has begun," Skyroot co-founder and chief executive Pawan Kumar Chandana said in a social media post.
"What once was a bold dream now stands tall on the launch pad. Vikram-1. India's first private orbital rocket."
The rocket, about as tall as a seven-storey building, is capable of carrying payloads weighing up to 300 kilogrammes (661 pounds).
"Skyroot plans to commence full-scale commercial launch operations after one or two successful orbital demonstration missions," the newspaper The Hindu reported.
The rocket is a significant step for India's space industry, which was opened to greater private-sector participation in 2020, with New Delhi seeking to capture a larger share of the rapidly growing global space economy.
