Hyderabad

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday virtually inaugurated Skyroot Aerospace’s Infinity Campus in Hyderabad and said the rise of private players in space technology reflects the success of the government’s historic space reforms.

The PM also unveiled Skyroot’s first orbital rocket, Vikram-I, which is designed to place satellites in orbit.

Calling the expansion of India’s private space ecosystem “a major milestone in the country’s tech leadership”, Modi said that opening the space sector to private companies had led to rapid innovation across the industry.

“Today, more than 300 space startups are giving new hope to the sector. The Infinity Campus represents India’s new thinking, innovation, and youth power. Our youth’s innovation, risk-taking ability and entrepreneurship are touching new heights,” he said.

Modi recalled the early days of India’s space programme, from transporting rocket parts on a bicycle to building some of the world’s most reliable launch vehicles. “Our journey may have begun with limited resources, but our growth shows that determination decides dreams,” he remarked.

The PM said space technology today spans communication, weather forecasting, urban planning and national security, making reforms essential.
“That is why we made historic reforms in the space sector, opened it to the private sector, made a new space policy and set up IN-SPACe,” he said. Modi added that the government was considering similar steps to open the nuclear sector to private participation.

Skyroot’s state-of-the-art Infinity Campus features around 2 lakh sq ft of workspace dedicated to the design, development, integration and testing of multiple launch vehicles. The facility has the capacity to build one orbital rocket every month.

Founded by IIT alumni and former ISRO scientists Pawan Chandana and Bharath Daka, Skyroot became the first Indian private company to launch a rocket in November 2022, when it successfully sent the sub-orbital Vikram-S vehicle into space.

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According to an official release, the quick rise of private space enterprises demonstrates the success of the NDA government’s reform-driven space trajectory, cementing India’s position as a confident and capable global space power.