When Scorch entered the dorm room, the Mysticals were celebrating. Felix and Verum were beaming. Orak was clapping loudly. “What are you so excited about?” Scorch asked her friends.
“Hi, Scorchie!” Orak greeted her, “We are happy because India launched its first private rocket into space. We were just watching the launch on Verum’s crystal ball.”
“Why did you watch it without me?” Scorch said angrily. Her fireballs became bigger and darker as she grew angrier.
Felix gasped and hid behind Verum. The Mysticals started to stutter and were about to apologize. Just then, Scorch burst into laughter and said, “I am just kidding!”
The other three Mysticals were relieved. Felix, still scared, murmured, “Orak will tell you all about the news.”
“Go on, Orak. Tell me more about this rocket,” Scorch nodded.
“Okay, then,” Orak grinned and explained, “The new rocket is called Vikram-S and the mission is called Mission Prarambh. Prarambh means ‘the beginning’ in Hindi.”
“Nice name,” Verum noted.
“Normally, the space organizations that are under the government develop the rockets that are sent to space. But an Indian private company named Skyroot Aerospace made this rocket.”
“What is a private company?” Verum whispered in Scorch’s ears.
“A private company is owned by private owners. It is not owned by the government or people,” Scorch explained.
“Since you missed the launch, Scorch, I will tell you about it,” Orak said, “The rocket was launched from Sriharikota, an Indian island off the coast of Andhra Pradesh. It went really high up in the sky within a few minutes. And then it returned to Earth. It landed in the Bay of Bengal.”
“Thank you, Orak, for sharing this historic moment with me,” Scorch said.