New Delhi: The successful launch Saturday of Vikram-1, India’s first privately developed orbital rocket, marks a major milestone for the country’s growing private space sector, which is building a skilled aerospace workforce from scratch.
Designed to carry satellites weighing up to 350 kg into Low Earth Orbit, Vikram-1 successfully deployed multiple technology demonstration payloads, artwork and commemorative postcards during its maiden mission, Mission Aagaman. The success of the mission placed India among a select group of countries with the capability to launch payloads using a privately developed orbital rocket.
In a ThePrint Off The Cuff interview earlier this month, Skyroot Aerospace Co-founder and CEO Pawan Chandana said only around 5 percent of the company’s employees have prior experience at organisations such as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) or the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
“So around 5 percent of the talent is from ISRO or DRDO, but 95 percent is built from scratch,” which he said he and the company is very proud of.
Chandana also said Skyroot recruits fresh engineering graduates and professionals from a wide range of industries which includes aviation, automobiles and trains them in the high-precision engineering and technical skills required to build rockets. He described developing this talent pool as one of its biggest achievements.
He added that Skyroot has built its workforce almost from scratch and on top of that they have also created more than 1,000 high tech jobs.
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