Mumbai, Nov. 28 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday unveiled the country's first private sector satellite Vikram-I designed and developed by Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace. Modi also inaugurated the startup's 2 lakh sqft Infinity campus, which is pitched as the largest private rocket manufacturing factory in India, that will be capable of integrating one Vikram-I rocket every month. "Today, the private sector is taking great strides in India's space ecosystem. Skyroot's Infinity Campus is a reflection of India's new thinking, innovation, and most importantly, youth power. And today's program is a reflection of the fact that in the future, India will emerge as a leader in the global satellite launch ecosystem," said Modi in his inaugural address via videoconferencing. In 2018, Pawan Kumar Chandana, former rocket scientist at Isro, and Naga Bharath Daka, flight computer engineer at Isro-affiliated Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre founded Skyroot Aerospace. Four years later, on the heels of Centre's private sector space reforms and enabled by Isro and IN-SPACe, Skyroot launched its indigenously built Vikram S, India's first privately built suborbital rocket, on November 18 from Sounding Rocket Complex, Sriharikota. In January, Skyroot will launch the seven-storey Vikram-I rocket, once again assisted by Isro and IN-SPACe. Referring to Chandana and Daka, Modi said, "Both of you young people are a huge inspiration for many young space entrepreneurs and every youth of the country. You both believed in yourselves and did not shy away from taking risks." The Infinity campus, also in Hyderabad, is an expansion of Skyroot's Max-Q campus headquarters, which is India's first private rocket design and development facility. Chandana, co-founder and chief operating officer, said Vikram-I is India's first private commercial rocket fully designed and built in India. Engineered to deploy multiple satellites into the earth's orbit, Vikram-I's booster stage Kalam-1200 is India's largest privately developed rocket stage. Lauding the space reforms, Daka, co-founder and chief operating officer, said Skyroot has so far generated 1000 hi-tech jobs and will invest over Rs.1,000 crores in the near future to be "among the few companies worldwide to achieve rapid and on-demand launch capabilities". "The facility will allow us to integrate one Vikram rocket every month. We support the national goal of 50 launches by 2030," said Daka. "These rockets are made of advanced carbon fibre composites and 3D printed engines." Emphasising that the space sector has become the foundation of communication, agriculture, marine monitoring, urban planning, weather prediction, and national security, Modi said his government's initiative of opening the space sector to private innovation through the new space policy has attracted the country's youth, especially Gen-Z - there are, at present, more than 300 space start-ups. "The teams were small, resources were limited, but the ambition was to reach new heights. It's this spirit that has given birth to the private space revolution in India," he said. Modi said the Centre is also moving to open the nuclear sector for private players. "...This reform will give new strength to our energy security and technological leadership," said Modi....