India's first privately developed orbital-class rocket ‘Vikram-1’ launched

Sriharikota, Jul 18: India on Saturday entered a new era in space exploration as Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace successfully launched ‘Vikram-1’, the country's first privately developed orbital launch vehicle, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR) in Sriharikota, marking a watershed moment for India's private space sector.

The landmark mission, christened 'Mission Aagaman', lifted off from the First Launch Pad at 12.05 pm IST after a brief hold in the countdown, drawing cheers from scientists, engineers and space enthusiasts. The successful launch makes Skyroot the first Indian private company to place an orbital-class launch vehicle into flight, nearly 46 years after ISRO's historic SLV-3 mission from the same spaceport.

Developed by former ISRO scientists, Vikram-1 is designed to serve the rapidly growing global small satellite launch market. The maiden mission was aimed at validating the rocket's propulsion, avionics, guidance, navigation, telemetry, stage separation and orbital insertion systems before the vehicle enters commercial operations.

Named after the father of India's space programme, Dr Vikram Sarabhai, the launch vehicle is a 22-metre-tall, four-stage rocket powered by three solid-fuel stages and a restartable liquid-fuel upper stage. It has been developed to place small satellites into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) through affordable and dedicated launch services.

The rocket carried multiple technology demonstration payloads from Indian and international customers, including spacecraft and experimental payloads from Cosmoserve Space, Grahaa Space, DCUBED of Germany and Skyroot's own technology demonstrator. The mission is expected to validate several indigenous technologies for future commercial launches.

The launch follows Skyroot's successful Vikram-S suborbital mission in November 2022, which made it the first Indian private company to launch a rocket into space. Vikram-1 represents the company's first orbital mission and is regarded as a defining step towards establishing India as a major player in the global commercial launch industry.

Ahead of the launch, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the mission as a "historic new frontier" for India's space programme and extended his best wishes to the Skyroot team. Following the successful liftoff, the mission was hailed as a milestone that reflects the growing strength of India's private space ecosystem after the sector was opened to private participation.

Mission Aagaman is expected to pave the way for regular commercial launches by Skyroot Aerospace and further strengthen India's ambitions of becoming a leading global hub for satellite launch services and space technology innovation.