India entered the global league of nations with private orbital launch capability on Saturday after Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace successfully launched its Vikram-1 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, marking a major milestone for the country's commercial space ambitions.
With the successful maiden flight of Vikram-1, India became only the third country in the world to achieve private orbital launch capability, opening the door for commercial satellite launches from Indian soil.
The indigenously developed launch vehicle lifted off at 12.10 pm and placed four technology demonstration payloads into a 450-km low-Earth orbit at an inclination of 60 degrees.
Celebrating the achievement, Skyroot Aerospace co-founder and CEO Pawan Chandana credited the team's efforts for accomplishing what many considered impossible.
“We have created a global milestone from India,” said Chandana, who founded the Hyderabad-based company with Bharath Dhaka. Both are alumni of the Indian Institutes of Technology and former ISRO scientists who later turned entrepreneurs.
“I thought it won’t be possible. A big shout out to the phenomenal team that made it happen.”
Soon after the launch, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with the Skyroot team and congratulated them on the successful mission.
“This is a defining moment in India’s space journey. The growing participation of our private sector is opening new frontiers and accelerating innovation. This achievement will encourage countless youngsters to dream bigger and innovate fearlessly,” Modi said in a post on X.
Earlier in the day, ahead of the launch, the Prime Minister had described Mission Aagaman as a "historic new frontier for India’s space journey."
“This mission highlights the talent, determination and entrepreneurial spirit of our youth. It also shows how our space-sector reforms are unlocking new opportunities for innovation and enterprise...May Vikram-1 soar high, create history and inspire a generation of innovators.”
Standing as tall as a seven-storey building, Vikram-1 is a multi-stage launch vehicle designed to place small satellites weighing up to 350 kg into low-Earth orbit. The rocket features an all-carbon composite structure and is powered by propulsion systems developed in-house, including 3D-printed engines and high-thrust solid-fuel boosters.
The mission is expected to generate critical data on propulsion, stage separation, guidance, navigation, control systems and the vehicle's overall performance, supporting Skyroot's transition into a commercial launch service provider.
Speaking to Hindustan Times earlier this month, Chandana had emphasised that Vikram-1 was developed entirely within the country.
“We have built it from scratch. That means hundreds of systems have to be developed and tested. Everything has to work together to a level where right now we’re able to stack it up on the launch pad, and ready to go off and shoot it. Building a rocket is the toughest feat in engineering, and it is a very deep technological product. That’s why it is called rocket science,” he said.
The success of the mission comes at a time when the global space industry is valued at nearly $600 billion. India currently accounts for about $8 billion of that market and has set a target of expanding its share to $44 billion by 2032.
Vikram-1 carried four technology demonstration payloads from Indian and international organisations. These included the Solaras S3 satellite developed by Bengaluru-based startup Grahaa Space, which is incubated at the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology; Embrace, an in-orbit debris-clearing robotic arm created by Hyderabad-based startup Cosmoserve Space; Skyroot's Scope satellite; and an in-orbit technology demonstration from German NewSpace hardware manufacturer DCUBED.
The mission also carried symbolic payloads, including microscopic 18-carat gold sculptures—each smaller than a grain of rice—depicting renowned Indian scientists Sir C.V. Raman, Dr. Vikram Sarabhai and Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. Created by Ajay Kumar Mattewada, the sculptures flew alongside Cosmic Bloom, an artwork developed by Cosmos Diamonds.
Mission Aagaman, meaning "the arrival," is Skyroot Aerospace's second space mission after the successful Vikram-S suborbital flight on November 18, 2022, which became the first private rocket to reach space from Indian soil.
