Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace on Saturday successfully launched Vikram-1, India’s first privately developed orbital rocket, becoming the country’s first private company to attempt an orbital launch and marking a major milestone for India’s commercial space sector.
The rocket lifted off from the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) First Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, under Mission Aagaman.
“LIFT-OFF! Vikram-1 has left the pad at Sriharikota. India’s first privately developed orbital rocket is flying. History is being made,” Skyroot said in a post on X, later confirming that the rocket had achieved safe tower clearance.
Named after Indian space programme pioneer Dr Vikram Sarabhai, the four-stage Vikram-1 launch vehicle has been designed to provide rapid, on-demand launch services for small satellites.
The seven-storey rocket is targeting a 450-km Low Earth Orbit (LEO). If the mission achieves orbit successfully, India will join a select group of countries where private companies have demonstrated orbital launch capability.
Skyroot said its long-term goal is to offer flexible launch services, likening its vision to a “cab service to space”, allowing customers to book dedicated launches for satellites and future space missions.
Mission Aagaman follows the company’s Vikram-S suborbital mission under Operation Prarambh in November 2022, which became the first privately built rocket launched from Indian soil and laid the foundation for India’s private space ecosystem.
Ahead of the launch, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the mission as “a historic new frontier for India’s space journey” and said it reflected the talent, determination and entrepreneurial spirit of India’s youth while showcasing the impact of space sector reforms in fostering innovation and private enterprise.
(IANS)
