The 23-meter-tall rocket is also India’s first carbon-composite space launch vehicle and features a liquid-engine powered Orbital Adjustment Module that can precisely maneuver in the vacuum for last-mile delivery of satellites.
The upcoming launch builds upon Skyroot’s successful technology demonstration launch in 2022 with Vikram-S – India’s first private rocket to reach space.
Somanath’s advisory role is honorary and underscores his commitment to nurturing India’s emerging private space ecosystem.
The advisory position is non-exclusive, allowing Somanath to continue his other professional commitments.
With Somanath at the helm of the national space agency, India achieved a historic soft landing near the Moon’s South Pole with the Chandrayaan-3 mission, launched Aditya-L1 (India’s first dedicated solar mission), developed and deployed the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), and conducted successful landing experiments of the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV-LEX), alongside several successful missions deploying satellites in Earth’s orbit, the release added. PTI GDK ROH