Guwahati: Skyroot Aerospace on Saturday successfully launched Vikram-1 Test Flight-1, marking the maiden flight of India’s first privately developed orbital-class rocket. Launched as Mission Aagaman from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, the 24-metre carbon-composite vehicle placed its payloads into a nearly 450-kilometre Low Earth Orbit, a milestone that the company and officials say makes India the third country to demonstrate private orbital launch capability.
The Vikram-1 completed all planned mission phases, including stage separations and the operation of its Orbital Adjustment Module (OAM). The OAM fired a 3D-printed liquid engine for final orbital insertion; the module is designed to start, stop and restart while in space to manage precise orbital maneuvers.
Skyroot’s solid-propellant stages performed as intended. The Kalam-1200 first stage carried the rocket through the densest part of the atmosphere before separating, after which the payload fairing was jettisoned. The Kalam-250 second stage then burned and separated, followed by the Kalam-100 third stage completing the solid-propulsion segment of the flight.
Vikram-1 is designed to carry payloads up to 350 kg to a 450-kilometre LEO. On its maiden flight it carried multiple experimental and symbolic payloads, including “Diamond Lotus,” a lab-grown diamond developed by Bengaluru-based Cosmos Diamonds. One of the mission’s most symbolic items was a handwritten postcard by Prime Minister Narendra Modi bearing the words “Vande Mataram.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Skyroot Aerospace, calling the successful mission a “landmark achievement” for India’s growing space ecosystem. The rocket also carried handwritten messages from the Skyroot team, investors, policymakers and well-wishers worldwide, underscoring the flight’s celebratory tone and the expanding role of India’s private sector in the global commercial space industry.
Original Source: https://www.sentinelassam.com/breakingnews/skyroots-vikram-1-reaches-orbit-marking-indias-first-private-orbital-rocket-success
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Publish Date: 2026-07-18 18:00:00
