India inaugurates Vikramaditya International Starport

Prime Minister Naresh Sohal has inaugurated the Vikramaditya International Starport, formally opening, after a series of delays, the Orion Arm’s largest commercial spaceflight center. The starport connects a 100 square kilometer terrestrial hub that includes 25 landing strips and 18 dedicated terminals, to a geosynchronous orbital district assembled around the mammoth Vikramaditya Station. At just over 60km in length, the station’s capacity represents a sevenfold expansion over the facility it's set to replace. 

Terrestrially and in orbit, the starport has been built around a next-generation spacelift designed by domestic firms that features eight dedicated passenger elevators. Officials said the facility will handle approximately 500 million passengers annually at full capacity.