India's first private rocket reaches orbit

metro india news I Sriharikota

India entered a new era in space exploration on Saturday as Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-I became the first rocket developed by a private Indian company to successfully place satellites into orbit from Indian soil. The launch took place from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota, at 12:05:30 pm, marking a major milestone for the country's private space sector.

The successful mission is seen as a significant outcome of the Union Government's 2020 space-sector reforms, which opened India's space activities to private participation. Supported by the Indian Space Policy, these reforms have accelerated the growth of startups engaged in launch vehicles, satellites and space-based technologies.

Vikram-1, India’s first privately built orbital rocket, developed by Hyderabad’s own firm @SkyrootA , has successfully lifted off from #Sriharikota. Telangana is where India’s space dreams take shape

Telangana CM in a post on 'X'

The Vikram-I maiden orbital mission carried multiple payloads, including two satellites—SCOPE and Grahaa—which were successfully injected into Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The rocket also carried additional payloads for in-orbit experiments, showcasing the technological capabilities of India's emerging private space industry.

Skyroot had earlier scripted history with the successful launch of the Vikram-S sub-orbital rocket in November 2022. Building on that achievement, the company developed Vikram-I as a four-stage launch vehicle comprising three solid propulsion stages and one liquid propulsion stage, designed to launch small satellites into LEO.

The mission received extensive support from ISRO and IN-SPACe. ISRO provided access to testing infrastructure at Sriharikota, where the rocket's first and second-stage solid motors were cast and tested. The RAMAN-I liquid engine powering the upper stage was tested at ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC). ISRO also assisted with stage preparation, transportation, vehicle integration, trajectory analysis and launch safety.

IN-SPACe facilitated access to ISRO facilities, technical guidance, mission reviews and launch clearances, enabling seamless collaboration between the government and private industry.

Congratulating the Skyroot team, ISRO Chairman Dr. V. Narayanan said the achievement reflected years of innovation, engineering excellence and perseverance, demonstrating the growing maturity of India's private space ecosystem. IN-SPACe Chairman Dr. Pawan Goenka called it a proud moment for the nation, noting that only a handful of countries possess independent launch capabilities and that Skyroot's success places a private Indian company among that elite group.