NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday took a veiled swipe at Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi while lauding India’s growing space capabilities, saying he was referring to “28-year-old youngsters” behind the success of startup Skyroot Aerospace and “not any 56-year-old ‘youngster’.”
Addressing reporters ahead of the commencement of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, the Prime Minister highlighted India’s recent achievements in the space sector and praised the country’s young innovators.
“Just before last year’s Monsoon Session, an Indian citizen reached the International Space Station, and the day before yesterday, India’s young startup achieved a very big milestone. There are very few countries in the world where such private ventures have taken place, and India’s youth have taken a new flight into space. It is a very big success,” Modi said.
Referring to the team behind Skyroot Aerospace, he added, “The young people working in this ‘Skyroot’ startup-I have been told the average age of their entire team is only 28 years. Such youngsters have accomplished this work; I am not talking about any 56-year-old ‘youngster,’ I am talking about these startups in the country with an average age of 28 that have planted India’s flag in space.”
PM Modi also expressed hope that both the ongoing monsoon season and the Monsoon Session of Parliament would prove productive for the country.
“The benefits of the monsoon are visible, and the Monsoon Session is also commencing. Both the monsoon and the Monsoon Session are very productive; when both are productive, it leads to the welfare of the nation and the welfare of all living beings. Therefore, we pray that both the monsoon and the Monsoon Session remain productive,” he said.
Skyroot Aerospace’s Vikram-1 Test Flight-1 has successfully reached orbit, marking the maiden flight of India’s first privately developed orbital-class rocket.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Skyroot Aerospace on the successful launch.
The rocket completed its final burn and injected its payloads into a nearly 450-km orbit, making India the third country in the world with private orbital launch capability.
The mission, named “Mission Aagaman”, was executed from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The 24-metre carbon-composite rocket completed all planned flight stages, including stage separations and the firing of its Orbital Adjustment Module (OAM).
