NEW DELHI — Pioneering Indian space startup Skyroot Aerospace is on track for India’s first private orbital rocket launch later this year, co-founder and CEO Pawan Chandana told Nikkei Asia, as the country emerges as a major player in the space industry.
Tests on mission-critical systems for the Vikram-1 rocket, such as the separation of expended fuel stages and the protective nose cone around the payload, have been successfully completed, Chandana said. The Skyroot team has also completed tests of the fairing separation system.