Hyderabad-headquartered Skyroot Aerospace successfully launched its Vikram-1 rocket on July 18 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The mission marked a major step for India’s private space sector, following the company’s earlier Vikram-S launch in 2022.
The launch was originally scheduled for 11:30 am, but lifted off at 12:05 pm after a short delay. The rocket was subsequently placed into Earth orbit, according to the report.
Vikram-1 is designed to deploy small satellites into orbit and can carry payloads of up to 350 kg. The vehicle uses high-thrust solid-fuel rocket boosters.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh called it a proud moment for the country and said the opening of the space sector to private players over the past six years made such missions possible. He also noted that Skyroot became the first private company to conduct a launch from Sriharikota.
The minister added that the success is a key milestone for the growing private space ecosystem in India, reflecting expanding national capabilities and strengthening India’s position in the global space sector.
