Space regulator authorises India's first private rocket Vikram-S launch on Nov 18
New Delhi, Nov 16: India's space regulator on Wednesday authorised the launch of first private sector rocket Vikram-S, a suborbital vehicle developed by Skyroot Aerospace.
"The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) authorises maiden launch by a private Indian space start-up Skyroot Aerospace to fly Vikram-S suborbital vehicle on November 18, 2022 between 11 am and 12 pm from sounding rocket complex, Satish Dhawan Space Centre of ISRO," IN-SPACe, the space regulator, said.
Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh will be present at Sriharikota to witness the maiden launch of the privately-developed rocket.
Singh said the launch of Vikram-S will be a major milestone in the journey of ISRO, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi unlocked the space sector in India two years ago for private participation.
He said Skyroot Aerospace has developed the Vikram-S, a single stage spin stabilised solid propellant rocket with mass of approximately 550 kilograms.
He said the rocket goes to the max altitude of 101 kilometres and splashes into the sea and the overall duration of launch is 300 seconds only.
Singh said that Skyroot was the first startup to sign a MoU with ISRO for launching its rockets.
The Union minister said space sector reforms have unleashed innovative potential of start-ups and within a short span of time, about 102 start-ups were working in cutting-edge areas of space debris management, nano-satellite, launch vehicle, ground systems, and research.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
