India’s private space industry reached a major milestone on Saturday after Skyroot Aerospace successfully launched the country’s first privately built orbital rocket, marking a significant step in New Delhi’s efforts to expand its presence in the global space economy.
The Vikram-1 rocket lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, carrying a collection of payloads designed for deployment in low-Earth orbit. The launch was greeted by loud cheers as the vehicle began its maiden flight.
“Hello space, we have arrived!” Skyroot Aerospace said in a post on X, announcing that the rocket’s first test flight had successfully completed its mission.
Standing roughly as tall as a seven-storey building, Vikram-1 is designed to carry payloads weighing up to 350 kilograms into space. The vehicle is named after Vikram Sarabhai, widely regarded as the father of India’s space programme.
Pawan Goenka, chairman of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre, praised the achievement, saying the result had exceeded expectations for the first orbital launch by an Indian private company.
