Skyroot’s Vikram-1 Makes History as India’s First Private Orbital Rocket
Skyroot Aerospace has created history by successfully launching Vikram-1, India’s first privately developed orbital rocket, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The mission, named “Mission Aagaman,” lifted off on Saturday carrying multiple customer payloads and experimental satellites before successfully placing them into a 450-km low-Earth orbit within 15 minutes.
The successful launch makes India the third country where a private company has achieved orbital launch capability. Standing 22 metres tall, Vikram-1 can carry payloads of up to 350 kg into low-Earth orbit and features advanced technologies, including three solid-fuel stages and a liquid-fuel orbital adjustment module powered by a 3D-printed engine. The mission also validated the rocket’s propulsion, navigation, telemetry, and avionics systems for future commercial launches.
Founded in 2018, Hyderabad-based Skyroot has emerged as one of India’s leading private space startups following the liberalisation of the country’s space sector. The achievement strengthens India’s ambitions to expand its space economy from about $8 billion to $44 billion by 2033, while boosting its position in the rapidly growing global commercial satellite launch market.
Pic courtesy: google/ images are subject to copyright
