Private space startup Skyroot Aerospace announced on Friday that a handwritten postcard from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, bearing the inscription ‘Vande Mataram’, will be sent into space on July 18 aboard the company’s Vikram-1 Test Flight-1.
In a post on the social media platform X, Skyroot Aerospace stated that the special payload carried on this mission would include PM Modi’s handwritten message. Alongside this, handwritten notes from the company’s team, investors, policymakers, and well-wishers from around the world will also be included. The company said, “Among the payloads being carried on Vikram-1 Test Flight-1 is a very special item: a handwritten postcard from PM Modi bearing the inscription ‘Vande Mataram’.”
According to Skyroot, these mementoes are part of ‘Mission Aarambh’, which the company has described as “a celebration carried forward by many hands and shared by millions.” The company stated that these handwritten messages symbolise collective support for India’s burgeoning private space ecosystem and will travel to space with the Vikram-1 mission.
In addition to these mementoes, Vikram-1 will carry technology demonstration payloads from Cosmoserv, D-Orbit, and Skyroot’s own ‘SCOPE’. It will also feature an artwork titled ‘Cosmic Bloom’ created by Cosmos Diamonds, as well as a micro-art payload. Vikram-1, Skyroot Aerospace’s first orbital launch vehicle, could prove to be a significant milestone for India’s private space sector.
The mission aims to demonstrate the capabilities of this indigenously built launch vehicle and strengthen the country’s commercial space objectives. On Thursday, a Hyderabad-based startup announced that it would attempt the maiden test flight of ‘Vikram-1’ on July 18 from the first launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR). This launch will mark the first attempt by a privately developed orbital-class rocket to lift off from Indian soil. According to the company, the necessary airspace and maritime clearances have been obtained. Officials have also issued the requisite notices to designate restricted zones along the rocket’s ascent and impact corridors.
