India’s First Private Orbital Rocket Vikram-1 Carries Innovation into Space
HYDERABAD: Skyroot Aerospace on Monday announced that its Vikram-1 launch vehicle, India’s first private orbital rocket, will carry technology demonstration payloads, a robotic arm and tributes to some of the country’s most celebrated scientists on its maiden mission.
The payload bay will include SOLARAS from Grahaa Space, the Embrace robotic arm from Cosmoserve Space, the uD3PP and mD3RN technology demonstrators from Germany-based Dcubed GmbH, Skyroot’s own SCOPE payload, and two commemorative payloads from Cosmos Diamonds.
Mission to Demonstrate Advanced Space Technologies
SOLARAS is a 1U CubeSat developed by Karnataka-based Grahaa Space to demonstrate indigenous satellite technology in orbit.
Germany-based Dcubed GmbH developed the uD3PP and mD3RN payloads to validate its deployable space technologies under real orbital conditions.
Cosmoserve Space will demonstrate its Embrace robotic arm while it remains attached to Vikram-1’s payload deck during the mission.
Ramesh Kumar V., co-founder and chief executive officer of Grahaa Space, said India’s space sector is witnessing rapid innovation and entrepreneurship. He added that missions like Vikram-1 are creating new opportunities for emerging space companies to test and scale their technologies.
Commemorative Payloads Celebrate India’s Scientific Legacy
The mission will also carry two special payloads that honour India’s scientific achievements and creativity.
Cosmic Bloom, developed by Karnataka-based Cosmos Diamonds, features diamond jewellery mounted on an aluminium base plate. The company describes it as a symbolic commercial payload for the mission.
Another payload, Microart, features an 18K gold rocket carrying micro-sculptures of Sir C.V. Raman, Dr Vikram Sarabhai—after whom Vikram-1 is named—and former President and rocket scientist Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. Each sculpture is smaller than a grain of rice.
Robotic Arm Supports Future Space Debris Removal
Chiranjeevi Phanindra, founder and chief executive officer of Cosmoserve Space, said the startup developed its soft robotic capture technology from concept to flight-ready status in just four months.
He said the Vikram-1 mission marks a major milestone for technologies that will support future in-orbit servicing and improve orbital sustainability. He added that the robotic system is being developed to enable future space debris removal missions.
