Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated Skyroot's Infinity Campus and the Vikram-I orbiter rocket during a virtual video conferencing. The PM highlighted this being an 'unprecedented' moment in the Indian private space sector.
"Today, India is witnessing an unprecedented moment in the space sector. The private sector is now making a major leap in India’s space ecosystem. Skyroot’s Infinity campus is the reflection of India’s new thinking, innovation and youth power," Modi said during his addressal.
PM speaks on India's journey in the space sector
The Prime Minister highlighted how humble the beginnings of the Indian space journey was and how long it has come today. "India’s space journey began with extremely limited resources. But our aspirations were never limited. There was a time when a rocket part was transported on a bicycle. And today, India has earned its place as the creator of one of the world’s most reliable launch vehicles. India has proved that the altitude of our dreams is decided by resolve, not resources," the PM said.
He stated that the Indian space talent is becoming an 'attractive destination' for the global market. "India’s space talent is establishing a strong identity across the world. For global investors, India’s space sector is rapidly becoming an attractive destination. The demand for small satellites is rising steadily worldwide, and space is now recognised as a strategic asset. In the coming years, the global space economy is set to expand many times over. This presents a significant opportunity for India’s youth," he said.
"Today, over 300 Indian space startups are giving new hopes to India's space future. Even in this, most of the space startups started with small teams and I had the opportunity to meet them. Teams were small, there were limited resources, but the intentions were to reach great heights," he added.
What is Infinity Campus inaugurated by the PM?
The Infinity Campus is a state-of-the-art facility spans around 200,000 square feet workspace for designing, developing, integrating and testing of multiple launch vehicles. It has the capacity to build one orbital rocket every month.
Skyroot was founded by Pawan Chandana and Bharath Dhaka - both alumni of the Indian Institutes of Technology and former scientists at ISRO who became entrepreneurs. It is India’s leading private space company.
In November 2022, the company successfully launched Vikram‑S, a sub-orbital rocket - becoming the first Indian private company to launch a rocket into space.
The inauguration of the Infinity Campus and unveiling of Vikram-I represent a major boost to India’s private space sector — and reflect the growing role of private players in strengthening India’s position as a confident and capable global space power.
