New Delhi: India achieved a major milestone in its space journey on Saturday as Skyroot Aerospace successfully launched Vikram-1, making it the country’s first privately developed rocket to place payloads into orbit.
The four-stage Vikram-1 lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota and completed its Test Flight-1 mission by injecting its payloads into an orbit of around 450 kilometres. With the successful mission, India became the third country in the world to demonstrate private orbital launch capability, Skyroot said in a series of posts on X.
Founded in 2018 by Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka, Skyroot Aerospace has emerged as one of India’s leading private space companies. The successful launch marks a significant achievement for the country’s growing commercial space sector.
Designed to provide rapid and on-demand launch services, the 24-metre-tall Vikram-1 is capable of carrying payloads weighing up to 350 kilograms into a 450-kilometre orbit. The maiden mission carried multiple payloads, including technology demonstration experiments, the Diamond Lotus artwork, and a special ‘Vande Mataram’ postcard from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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. In a post on X, he noted that reforms in the space sector had opened new opportunities for innovation and enterprise, encouraging citizens to support the landmark mission.
Following the successful launch, the PM congratulated the Skyroot Aerospace team, calling the achievement a defining moment in India’s space programme. He said the increasing participation of the private sector was opening new frontiers and accelerating innovation while inspiring young Indians to dream bigger and innovate fearlessly.
Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan also congratulated Skyroot Aerospace, describing the mission as a landmark achievement that marks a new chapter in India’s space journey.
In a post on X, he said the successful launch showcased the strength of India’s private space sector, advanced indigenous innovation, and reinforced the country’s emergence as a global space power.
The success of Vikram-1 reflects the rapid transformation of India’s space ecosystem since the government’s space sector reforms were introduced in 2020. Those reforms have helped expand the number of Indian space startups from just one to more than 400, fostering closer collaboration between private companies and the Indian Space Research Organisation.
The successful orbital mission is expected to strengthen India’s position in the global commercial launch market and pave the way for greater private participation in future space missions, satellite launches and advanced space technologies.
