Chennai, June 25 (UNI) Axiom Space has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with
India-based Skyroot Aerospace to explore collaboration opportunities to advance space exploration and access to low-Earth orbit (LEO).
This collaboration further reinforces the growing cooperation between Axiom Space and the Indian space sector.
Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), which launched at 2:31 a.m. ET today from Florida for a 14-day docking
at International Space Station (ISS) with four crew members from India, US, Poland and Hungary, marked India’s return to human spaceflight and the nation’s first mission on board the ISS.
This historic mission underscores how Axiom Space is redefining the pathway to LEO and fueling
a vibrant space economy for the benefit of every human, everywhere, Axiom Space said in a statement soon after the ISS mission took off majestically amid benign weather conditions after the mission was deferred six times due to various factors including adverse weather, fuel leak and technical glitches, further strengthening Indo-US space cooperation, besides future exploration missions, that included the NASA-ISRO joint NISAR mission, likely next month from the Indian spaceport of Sriharikota.
With Ax-4, Axiom Space is laying the foundation for the construction and operation of Axiom Station, marking the U.S. company as a leader in LEO. As Axiom Space develops a diverse and global supply chain, the company is strategically partnering with pioneering organizations like Skyroot Aerospace.
Skyroot Aerospace is India’s leading private space launch service provider and the first private company to launch a rocket to space in South Asia.
As the first private space-tech company to partner with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Skyroot (based in Hyderabad) is on a mission to make access to space affordable, reliable, and on demand.
In 2022, Skyroot successfully launched Vikram-S, and the team is now preparing to launch the Vikram-1 rocket, its maiden orbital-class launch vehicle.
“Enabling greater and equitable access to space, be it for research institutes, startups, or national agencies, is the guiding mantra at Skyroot,” said Pawan Kumar Chandana, co-founder and CEO, Skyroot Aerospace.
“As we begin realizing this vision with the upcoming maiden launch of Vikram-1, the partnership with Axiom Space builds an opportunity to explore integrated launch and orbital solutions that will shape humanity’s future in space”, he said.
Tejpaul Bhatia, CEO of Axiom Space, said “Since the day I visited Skyroot’s facility two years ago,
I knew our companies had to work together to define humanity’s future in space. With our shared vision to transform access to space, we look forward to collaborating with Skyroot to serve the growing space ecosystem in India and globally.”
Axiom Space and Skyroot Aerospace are exploring opportunities to collaborate on era-defining
space infrastructure.
Axiom Space will explore utilizing Skyroot capabilities for groundbreaking research payloads, orbital data center nodes, and other missions to Axiom Station and independently in LEO.
"Together, the two organizations are excited to collaborate in serving India and international markets", Bhatia said.
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