India’s space startup Skyroot Aerospace on Saturday successfully launched the country's first privately developed orbital launch vehicle, an achievement described by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a historic new frontier for India’s space journey.
The Vikram-1 rocket lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota in southern India and successfully reached orbit, according to a statement released by Skyroot on the social media platform X. The company announced that the Vikram-1 Test Flight-1 completed its final burn and injected its payloads into a 450-kilometer orbit, making India the third country in the world to achieve private orbital launch capability.
The startup confirmed that the first-ever Indian private sector launch has been successfully completed.
Reacting to the milestone, Prime Minister Modi explained that the four-stage rocket is specially designed to provide rapid and on-demand launch services. He noted that the mission highlights the talent, determination, and entrepreneurial spirit of India's youth, while demonstrating how the country's space-sector reforms are unlocking new opportunities for innovation and enterprise.
