Telangana’s Ajay Kumar Mattewada set to become first Indian whose art work will travel into space

Warangal-based micro artist Ajay Kumar Mattewada is set to become the first Indian whose artwork will travel into space aboard Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 rocket. His miniature sculptures honouring three Indian scientists will be carried as payloads during the historic mission

Warangal: Telangana’s internationally acclaimed micro artist, Ajay Kumar Mattewada, is set to achieve the unique distinction of becoming the first Indian whose micro artwork is scheduled to travel into space aboard India’s first private orbital rocket.

His micro artwork is one of the payloads aboard Skyroot Aerospace’s Vikram-1 rocket, Mission Agaman, for which the launch window is set between July 12 and August 4. The lift-off will take place from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, to place the payloads into low-Earth orbit.

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Ajay Kumar’s work will be the third in the world to take art beyond the limits of Earth after the Moon Museum (1969) and Fallen Astronaut (1971), which are said to have been placed on the Moon through the US Apollo 12 and Apollo 15 missions.

Ajay Kumar, who mastered the art of making micro sculptures, sculpted miniature sculptures of India’s legendary scientists Dr. CV Raman, Dr. Vikram Sarabhai and Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam in the eye of a sewing needle with extreme precision.

Each sculpture, which can be viewed using a high-powered microscope, measures approximately 800 microns (0.8 millimetres) in height and is carefully mounted inside a miniature rocket model made of 18-karat gold, specially designed for spaceflight.

Speaking to Telangana Today, Ajay Kumar said the project began in 2023 and was completed in February 2026. Nearly 140 hours were devoted to creating the sculptures with exceptional patience, concentration, precision and technical expertise.

They were crafted using space-compatible materials, including stainless steel, 24-karat gold, pure silver, ceramic powder and carbon fibre particles, in accordance with the technical specifications provided by Skyroot Aerospace’s engineering team. They also passed rigorous engineering tests, he noted.

“Knowing that my work will become a part of the history of space exploration fills me with indescribable joy, pride and satisfaction. It is the highest honour bestowed upon the micro sculpture art that I have pursued with unwavering dedication for the past 40 years.”

“As an Indian, it is a matter of pride that the miniature sculptures of Dr. CV Raman, Dr. Vikram Sarabhai and Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam will travel into space. It is a tribute to three generations of visionary scientific leadership that helped shape modern India,” Ajay Kumar said.

He thanked Skyroot Aerospace Co-founder and CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana, Naga Bharath Daka, Nikhil Madduri and Dr. CVS Kiran for believing in his artistic vision and providing this rare opportunity.

This historic mission, which beautifully combines space technology and art, is expected to bring greater international recognition to Indian micro sculpture while showcasing India’s artistic excellence on the global stage, he added.