Surat lab-grown diamonds flown to space on Skyroot's Vikram-1 rocket
Technology
A decorative piece of 32 lab-grown diamonds from Surat just hitched a ride to space!
The 16.95-carat, lotus-shaped piece (crafted with 32 pear-cut diamonds in gold) was launched on Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 rocket, which Nityas Gems and Jewellery says is the first time diamonds from Surat have reached orbit.
Aerospace-mounted lotus crafted by artisans
Built to handle intense launch conditions, the piece was mounted on aerospace-grade aluminum and took six months for a team of around 20 artisans to finish.
The lotus design is a nod to Lord Brahma in Hinduism and shines bright as a symbol of pride for Surat, India's "diamond city."
Rajnikanth Chanchad, CEO of Nityas Gems and Jewellery, said that seeing sunlight glimmer off their creation in space is a matter of pride.