ISRO Targets Seven Launches This Financial Year

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman V Narayanan announced on Saturday that the space agency is targeting at least seven launches during the current financial year, with the next mission expected to lift off within the next two months. Speaking at Sriharikota following the successful maiden orbital flight of Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 rocket, Narayanan said two satellites are already fully built and ready, while five to six more are in the final stages of integration.

Among the missions lined up is the first uncrewed test flight under the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme, which will fly alongside the planned satellite launches this year.

Vikram-1's Historic Orbital Flight

Narayanan's remarks came shortly after Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1, flown under the name 'Mission Aagaman', successfully reached a 453-km orbit from ISRO's Satish Dhawan Space Centre, marking the first time an Indian private rocket has placed a payload in orbit. The four-stage, carbon-composite rocket carried technology demonstration payloads along with postcards, including one from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Narayanan praised the Skyroot team, whose average age is around 28, for achieving a successful orbital mission on their first attempt, calling it a source of pride for India's space community and a contribution to the country's long-term "Bharat 2047" development vision. Both Skyroot co-founders, Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka, are former ISRO scientists.

'Like Parents Watching Children Succeed'

Describing ISRO's reaction to the milestone, Narayanan used a personal analogy while speaking to reporters. "We are just like parents who get excited and proud to see children studying well and getting first rank," he said, reflecting the space agency's role in mentoring India's growing private space sector.

From One Startup to 400

Narayanan credited the 2020 space sector reforms, which opened the space sector to startups and private players, for enabling Saturday's milestone. "When the policy was put into practice, there was only one startup. Today, there are 400 startups," he said, adding that the sector's growth would help drive economic growth and encourage a stronger scientific temper among India's youth.

A Second Launch Complex on the Way

Asked about India's infrastructure capacity to support a rising frequency of private and commercial launches, Narayanan said ISRO plans to commission its second launch complex at Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu within the next six months. He noted that while Sriharikota has comprehensive launch capabilities, using its large launch pads for smaller satellites in the 300 to 350 kg range is not the most efficient use of infrastructure.

"Initial launches will go from here. Then we are also building the second launch complex in Kulasekarapattinam. That is getting ready. Within this financial year, we are going to commission it," Narayanan said, noting the facility is in its final phase of construction. Once operational, launch scheduling will be distributed between the two spaceports depending on the specific requirements of each payload.