Space start-up launches India’s first commercial rocket designed for orbit

Here is the latest breaking news from around the world: Diamonds and 'cab to orbit': The rocket aiming to transform India's space ambitionsImage source, Skyroot AerospaceImage caption, Vikram-1 is set to take off from the Indian Space Research Organisation's launch facility in Sriharikota on SaturdayByGeeta PandeyBBC Correspondent, DelhiPublished5 hours agoWhat if launching a satellite was as easy as calling a cab? That's the vision behind an Indian private rocket company that will attempt its first orbital launch on Saturday. Skyroot Aerospace, which recently became India's first space tech unicorn after reaching $1.

1bn valuation, is all set to launch Vikram-1 from the Indian Space Research Organisation's (Isro) launch facility in Sriharikota in southern India. The seven-storey rocket, set for lift-off at 11:30 India time , will be headed for the Low Earth Orbit which is 280 miles (450km) away. If the 16-minute flight succeeds, Skyroot will become the first Indian private company to launch a rocket into orbit, making India only the third country, after the US and China, with a private company capable of orbital launches.

The Details

A successful Vikram-1 launch will take Skyroot closer to its goal of offering what it calls a "cab service to space", where companies can hire a rocket "to ride to a unique location in the orbit to place a satellite or visit a space station". Image source, Skyroot AerospaceImage caption, A diamond lotus is among Vikram-1's payloadsThe rocket - named after Vikram Sarabhai, who is called the father of India's space programme - is small and has the capacity to carry payloads of up to 350kg, Skyroot co-founder and CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana told the . Chandana says today, access to space remains "a major bottleneck, with satellite operators often waiting for months or even years for a launch opportunity" and that their venture expects to change that.

He says Skyroot aims to cut long waits for satellite launches by offering dedicated missions for small payloads. Instead of sharing space on large rockets that fly on fixed schedules, customers can book a launch tailored to their satellite and its required orbit - much like taking a taxi instead of waiting for a train. "If you want to just go to a friend's house, you don't need a train, you book a cab, an Uber.

What we are offering is a cab service to space, which can be used to ride to a unique location in the orbit to place a satellite or visit a station. "If successful, Skyroot's model would appear similar to that of Rocket Lab in the US, which provides small-lift launch vehicles. If all goes to plan, the Indian test launch mission called Aagman - Sanskrit for arrival - will place into orbit six payloads.

They include scientific instruments such as a robotic arm for removing space debris, an Earth observation camera and satellites, including one from a German company. But they also include two symbolic payloads which have generated a buzz in India.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.