India’s private space industry marked a key achievement on Saturday when Skyroot Aerospace completed the first flight of Vikram-1, the nation’s initial privately built orbital rocket, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The vehicle performed all phases of flight and payload release without issue across its four stages. Named Mission Aagaman, the flight brings Indian commercial firms into orbital launch operations and places the country among nations with independent private orbital capability. As the rocket rose on a column of fire, extensive prior development work reached a point that may influence future national space transport options. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with the team to mark the outcome of the initial attempt. The launch followed a brief internal pause, yet all separations occurred cleanly. The seven-storey vehicle uses an all-carbon composite structure and in-house propulsion, including 3D-printed engines and solid motors, to deliver up to 350 kilograms to low Earth orbit. It carried demonstration satellites from several firms plus symbolic items. Data from the flight will support further development of the Vikram family and future commercial flights. The result also reflects policy changes that permit private rocket and satellite work alongside the national agency. Skyroot, started in 2018 by former agency engineers, previously flew a suborbital vehicle in 2022.
