PM Narendra Modi inaugurated Skyroot’s Infinity Campus in Hyderabad and unveiled its Vikram-I orbital rocket. He praised the private sector’s growing role in space and announced similar reforms are planned for India’s nuclear sector as well.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated the Skyroot’s Infinity Campus in Hyderabad, Telangana via video conferencing today and unveiled Skyroot’s first orbital rocket, Vikram-I, with the capability to launch satellites to orbit.
PM Hails Private Sector’s Leap in Space and Beyond
Addressing the gathering on the occasion, the Prime Minister remarked that today the nation is witnessing an unprecedented opportunity in the space sector and highlighted that India’s space ecosystem is experiencing a major leap with the private sector taking flight. Noting that the scope of reforms is continuously expanding, PM Modi highlighted that just as space innovation was opened to the private sector, India is now moving towards opening the nuclear sector as well. He emphasized that a strong role for the private sector is being laid in this field, which will create opportunities in small modular reactors, advanced reactors, and nuclear innovation. He underlined that this reform will give new strength to India’s energy security and technological leadership.
PM Modi emphasized that Skyroot’s Infinity Campus reflects India’s new thinking, innovation, and youth power, and underlined that the innovation, risk-taking ability, and entrepreneurship of the country’s youth are reaching new heights. He stated that today’s program is a reflection of how India will emerge as a leader in the global satellite launch ecosystem in the coming times.
Inspiring Young Entrepreneurs
He extended his best wishes to Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka, noting that the two young entrepreneurs are an inspiration for countless young space entrepreneurs across the country. He stressed that both of them trusted themselves, did not shy away from taking risks, and as a result the entire nation is witnessing their success today, with the country feeling proud of them.
Historic Reforms Fuelling India’s Space Journey
Pointing out that India’s space journey began with limited resources but emphasized that the nation’s ambitions were never limited, PM Modi remarked that from carrying rocket parts on a bicycle to developing the world’s most reliable launch vehicles, India has proven that the height of dreams is determined not by resources but by resolve. “ISRO has for decades given new wings to India’s space journey and stressed that credibility, capacity, and value have established India’s distinct identity in the sector,” PM Modi said.
He remarked that the expansion of the space sector is evident, as it has become the foundation for communication, agriculture, marine monitoring, urban planning, weather prediction and national security. He stated that this is why historic reforms were undertaken in India’s space sector, with the government opening it to private innovation and preparing a new Space Policy.
The Prime Minister remarked that efforts were made to connect startups and industry with innovation, and IN-SPACe was established to provide ISRO’s facilities and technology to startups. “In just the past six to seven years, India has transformed its space sector into an open, cooperative, and innovation-driven ecosystem,”PM Modi said, stating that the program is a reflection of this transformation.
The ‘Private Space Revolution’ and Gen-Z’s Role
Emphasising that India’s youth always place national interest above all and make the best use of every opportunity, PM Modi remarked that when the government opened the space sector, the country’s youth, especially the Gen-Z generation, came forward to take full advantage of it.
He highlighted that today more than 300 space startups are giving new hopes to India’s space future, and noted that most of these startups began with small teams–sometimes two people, sometimes five, sometimes in a small rented room–with limited resources but with determination to reach new heights. “This spirit has given birth to the Private Space Revolution in India”, underlined the Prime Minister, stating that Gen-Z engineers, designers, coders, and scientists are creating new technologies, whether in propulsion systems, composite materials, rocket stages, or satellite platforms, and stressed that India’s youth are working in areas that were unimaginable just a few years ago.
He remarked that India’s private space talent is establishing a distinct identity across the world and added that today, for global investors, India’s space sector is becoming an attractive destination.
India’s Growing Global Competitiveness
Underscoring that the demand for small satellites is continuously increasing across the world and noted that launch frequencies are also rising, PM Modi remarked that new companies are entering the field to provide satellite services and emphasized that space has now established itself as a strategic asset. He underlined that in the coming years the global space economy is set to grow manifold, and stressed that this represents a very significant opportunity for India’s youth.
“India possesses space sector capabilities that only a few countries in the world have, noting the presence of expert engineers, a high-quality manufacturing ecosystem, world-class launch sites, and a mindset that encourages innovation,” he said, noting that India’s space capability is both cost-effective and reliable. He remarked that global companies want to manufacture satellites in India, avail launch services from India, and seek technology partnerships with India, and therefore stressed that the nation must make the most of this opportunity.
A Nation of Startups
The Prime Minister remarked that the changes being witnessed in the space sector are part of the broader startup revolution taking place in India. He highlighted that over the past decade, a new wave of startups has emerged across diverse sectors such as FinTech, AgriTech, HealthTech, ClimateTech, EduTech and DefenseTech, with India’s youth, particularly the Gen-Z generation, providing innovative solutions in every field. Lauding the Gen-Z generation of India, the PM said that their creativity, positive mindset and capacity building abilities can be a source of inspiration for the Gen-Z generation of the world.
The Prime Minister emphasized that India has now become the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem and noted that there was a time when startups were confined to a few big cities, but today they are emerging from small towns and villages as well. He underlined that the country now has more than 1.5 lakh registered startups, with many of them having achieved unicorn status.
Future Aspirations and Government Support
Underscoring that India is no longer confined to apps and services and is now advancing rapidly towards deep-tech, manufacturing, and hardware innovation, the Prime Minister thanked the Gen-Z generation. He highlighted the semiconductor sector as an example, noting that the historic steps taken by the government are strengthening the foundation of India’s tech future.
PM Modi further emphasized that semiconductor fabrication units, chip manufacturing, and design hubs are developing across the country, and underlined that from chips to systems, India is building a strong electronics value chain. He stated that this is not only part of the resolve for self-reliance but will also make India a strong and reliable pillar of the global supply chain.
Noting that the future will depend greatly on the research being carried out today, the Prime Minister underscored that the government is focused on providing maximum opportunities for youth in research. He said the coming era belongs to India, its youth, and its innovations. He recalled that a few months ago, on the occasion of Space Day, he had spoken about India’s space aspirations and affirmed that within the next five years India will take its launch capacity to new heights and create five new unicorns in the space sector. He remarked that the progress of the Skyroot team makes it certain that India will achieve every goal it has set. The Prime Minister assured every young person, every startup, scientist, engineer, and entrepreneur that the government stands firmly with them at every step.
About Skyroot’s Infinity Campus
Indian space startup Skyroot’s Infinity Campus, is a state-of-the-art facility with around 200,000 square feet workspace for designing, developing, integrating and testing multiple launch vehicles, with a capacity to build one orbital rocket every month.
Skyroot is India’s leading private space company, founded by Pawan Chandana and Bharath Dhaka, both alumni of Indian Institutes of Technology and former scientists of ISRO turned entrepreneurs. In November 2022, Skyroot launched its sub-orbital rocket, Vikram-S, becoming the first Indian private company to launch a rocket to space. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)