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India's first private orbital launch successful as Vikram-1 lifts off into space | VIDEO
The launch vehicle is capable of carrying payloads weighing up to 350 kg into a 450-km Low Earth Orbit at a 60-degree inclination.
India's first privately developed orbital-class rocket, Vikram-1, lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on Saturday. It is a major milestone for the country's private space sector and its commercial launch ambitions.
Developed by Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace, the mission, named Mission Aagaman, is the first attempt by an Indian private company to place satellites into Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
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Skyroot founders Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka, both former ISRO scientists, watched the launch from the Mission Control Centre along with ISRO Chairman V Narayanan. Former ISRO chiefs, astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, and Andhra Pradesh minister Nara Lokesh were also present.
Modi dialled the founders of Skyroot Aerospace to congratulate them on the successful launch, PTI reported.
Successful launch after planned delay
The launch witnessed a brief delay after the mission control team placed the countdown on a planned hold just minutes before the scheduled liftoff at 11.30 am. The launch later proceeded successfully at 12:05 pm.
The liftoff has already secured its place in the history of India's space programme. It is the country's first attempt by a private company to place satellites into orbit.
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‘History is made’
Skyroot Aerospace wrote on X, “ORBIT ACHIEVED. Vikram-1 Test Flight-1 has reached orbit. India's first privately developed orbital rocket has completed its final burn and injected its payloads into a ~450 km orbit, making India the third country in the world with private orbital launch capability. History is made."
In another post, they wrote, "Hello space, we have arrived! Vikram-1's Test Flight-1 has completed it's mission. The first ever Indian private sector launch has been successfully completed."
Successful deployment of payloads
Following liftoff, Vikram-1 inserted multiple payloads into a 450-km LEO. The mission carried technology demonstration payloads from Grahaa Space, Cosmoserve Space, DCUBED, and Skyroot Aerospace's in-house SCOPE satellite.
The rocket also transported several commemorative payloads, including a handwritten postcard from Modi carrying the message "Vande Mataram", postcards from engineers, scientists and Indian astronauts, an 18-karat gold miniature rocket, and a micro-art installation, as per a government statement.
The micro-art payload features miniature sculptures of Vikram Sarabhai, Sir CV Raman and APJ Abdul Kalam. According to Skyroot, the artwork honours the three pioneers whose work laid the foundation for India's scientific and space programmes.
Mission data to support future launches
Skyroot Aerospace said data generated during the maiden flight will be analysed to assess the rocket's guidance and navigation systems and support improvements for future commercial launch missions.
The successful mission also validated the performance of Vikram-1's lightweight all-carbon composite structure and 3D-printed engines under actual flight conditions.
A milestone for India's private space sector
The flight is Skyroot's transition from suborbital to orbital launches. While Vikram-S successfully completed a suborbital mission in 2022, Vikram-1 became the company's first rocket to place payloads into orbit.
Payloads onboard
The mission carried Embrace by Cosmoserve Space, an in-orbit demonstration of robotic arms designed for future space debris removal; Solaras by Grahaa Space, a compact satellite testing new technologies in Low Earth Orbit; and SCOPE, Skyroot's experimental payload developed to validate technologies for future missions.
Also onboard were Cosmic Bloom, an artistic lab-grown diamond by Cosmos Diamonds, and DCUBED's German technology demonstration payloads uD3PP and mD3RN.
