Skyroot’s Vikram-1 becomes India’s first private orbital launch vehicle

The Vikram-1 rocket lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 0635 GMT, leaving behind a plume of fire and smoke dubbed “Mission Aagaman”.

Skyroot's successful Vikram-1 launch marks a major milestone for India's private space sector. With government support and growing startup activity, the country could emerge as a global leader in small satellite launches

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday had a "great interaction" with Skyroot Aerospace founders Pawan Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka and discussed the success of the Vikram-1 mission and the future of India's private space sector.PM Modi Meets Skyroot FoundersIn a post on X, Modi said he had a "great interaction" with Chandana and Daka, adding that the "success of Vikram-1 naturally featured prominently" in their discussion."A great interaction with Pawan Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka of Skyroot Aerospace. The success of Vikram-1 naturally featured prominently in our discussion, in addition to many other interesting subjects. Happy to hear about their journey so far and their insights on what lies ahead. Their energy, ambition and positivity reflect the vibrant spirit of our private space ecosystem. Best wishes to the entire Skyroot team," PM Modi wrote on X.Skyroot Aerospace also posted about the meeting on X, saying its founders had the privilege of sharing the company's journey, Vikram-1's successful mission, and its vision for the future of space with PM Modi."An honour to meet Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi. Our founders, Pawan Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka, had the privilege of sharing Skyroot's journey, Vikram-1's successful mission, and our vision for the future of space," he wrote on X.A great interaction with Pawan Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka of Skyroot Aerospace. The success of Vikram-1 naturally featured prominently in our discussion, in addition to many other interesting subjects. Happy to hear about their journey so far and their insights on what lies… https://t.co/I3aEVfa7fb— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 27, 2026Vikram-1 Mission SuccessOn July 18, Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 Test Flight-1 successfully reached orbit, marking the maiden flight of India's first privately developed orbital-class rocket. The rocket completed its final burn and injected its payloads into a nearly 450-km orbit, making India the third country in the world with private orbital launch capability.The mission, named "Mission Aagaman", was executed from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The 24-metre carbon-composite rocket completed all planned flight stages, including stage separations and the firing of its Orbital Adjustment Module (OAM).Also Watch:The Orbital Adjustment Module fired its 3D-printed liquid engine for the final push to orbit. The module is designed to start, stop, and restart in space. During the flight, Kalam-1200, the solid first stage, carried the rocket through the thickest part of the atmosphere before separating cleanly. The payload fairing was then separated, exposing the satellites to space for the first time.The second stage, Kalam-250, completed its burn and separated, followed by the ignition of Kalam-100, the smallest and highest-flying solid stage of Vikram-1. The solid-propulsion phase concluded with the separation of Stage 3, paving the way for the Orbital Adjustment Module to complete the mission.BJP Targets CJP Over Viral 'Party' Video After Pradhan's Resignation; Outfit Responds With 'Uncle, Auntie' SwipePrivate Space Sector GrowthThe Vikram-1 rocket, powered by three solid-fuel stages and a liquid orbital adjustment module, is designed to deploy payloads up to 350 kg into a 450-km Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The maiden flight carried multiple payloads, including the "Diamond Lotus", a lab-grown diamond from Bengaluru-based Cosmos Diamonds.(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 rocket successfully reached orbit with ISRO support in a historic private space milestone.

India’s first privately developed orbital rocket has given the country’s fledgling commercial space industry a long-sought proof point, but analysts say Skyroot Aerospace must now show it can launch regularly, cheaply and reliably enough to win customers in a crowded global market. Skyroot’s Vikram-1 rocket lifted off on Saturday from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, carrying several customer payloads and in-orbit experiments on its...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the Monsoon Session of Parliament, by spotlighting the success of Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1, India's first private orbital rocket. He noted the team's average age of 28, adding, "I am not speaking of a 56-year-old youth," a remark widely linked to opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, who turned 56 last month. Modi urged productive debates grounded in facts, tying the achievement to India's recent space milestones, including an astronaut's visit to the International Space Station, as the session heads into a session-long agenda of key bills and the Budget through August. Here is an explainer on the rocket that was at the centre of Modi's remarks.What is Vikram-1? A private rocket that reached orbitVikram-1 is a four-stage, expendable orbital small-lift launch vehicle developed by Skyroot Aerospace, named after Vikram Sarabhai, the founder of India's space programme. Its first three stages are solid-fuelled, while the fourth is a liquid stage. The rocket lifted off on its inaugural flight on July 18 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, becoming the first commercial Indian rocket to reach orbit. The launch made India just the third country with private orbital launch capability, after the US and China.It’s been 24 hours now…Vikram-1’s launch still feels surreal.Knowing just how hard this is, I couldn’t contain the excitement at Mission Control as the rocket we built with so many dreams successfully inserted satellites into orbit — on its very first attempt.Just… pic.twitter.com/qNjzjUssI5— Pawan (@PawanKChandana) July 19, 2026 ' - : ! The era of commercial spaceflight has begun in India #Skyroot | #Vikram1 pic.twitter.com/yba2WRW1Ck— ISRO Spaceflight (@ISROSpaceflight) July 18, 2026 Inside Mission AagamanThe debut flight was called Mission Aagaman, Sanskrit for 'arrival'. Liftoff was delayed by 35 minutes because of a technical issue detected at the T-minus-5-minute mark in the countdown, but the rocket then closely followed its planned flight path, with all three solid-fuel stages performing as expected. The rocket deployed a liquid-propellant kick stage, known as the orbit adjustment module, which fired for about six minutes, and the upper stage reached its planned 450-kilometre low Earth orbit roughly 15 minutes after liftoff. The mission carried two cubesats, one built by Skyroot itself and the other by fellow Indian startup Grahaa Space. Mission control declared the flight 'a grand success' less than 20 minutes after liftoff.Vikram-1: Design and technical specificationsThe rocket incorporates carbon-composite airframes to reduce structural mass, along with 3D-printed liquid engines and modular avionics systems. Its Kalam-250 stage uses thrust vector control for steering, while the upper stage carries reaction control system thrusters for attitude control. Vikram-1 is designed to place up to 350 kilograms into low Earth orbit, while an upgraded variant with strap-on boosters, called Vikram-1U, will raise that capacity to 550 kilograms. Skyroot has marketed Vikram-1 as a responsive launch system built for rapid integration and launch operations with minimal ground infrastructure.What is Skyroot Aerospace? Skyroot Aerospace is based in Hyderabad and was founded in 2018. The company unveiled the Vikram-1 launch vehicle in October 2023, following the successful flight of its suborbital demonstrator Vikram-S in November 2022, which made Skyroot the first Indian private company to launch a rocket from ISRO's launch facilities. The company said it plans a series of test flights before beginning commercial launches, and an executive said at an industry conference this month that up to two more Vikram-1 launches are planned this year. Skyroot raised 60 million dollars in May to scale up production of Vikram-1 and to develop a larger vehicle, Vikram-2.