India's space dream took 400 start-ups with it. That's the real payload
We need to talk about what actually launched from Sriharikota on Saturday — because it wasn't just Vikram-1. When Skyroot's rocket reached orbit after a 16-minute flight, it carried the aspirations of 400 Indian space start-ups created since the sector opened in 2020, and proof that the road from public investment to shared achievement runs exactly the way it should: Isro built the foundations, two of its engineers dreamed bigger, and a nation's space program grew a new branch.
And the values on the manifest! A robotic arm for removing space debris — they brought the cleanup equipment WITH them, which is more than most industries manage on Earth. Satellites for agriculture, fisheries, disaster management, connectivity: space as public service, not just spectacle.
The tributes matter too: micro-sculptures of Vikram Sarabhai, CV Raman and APJ Abdul Kalam — a physicist, a builder, a teacher-president — each smaller than a grain of rice, riding a rocket named for the program's father. A country honoring its scientists the way others honor generals. Imagine, instead, a world where that's normal everywhere.
May the 'cab service to space' stay true to what cabs are for: taking everyone, not just the rich. The orbit is a commons. Keep it one. Sign the petition — it's in orbit now. There is always a petition.