According to a report by the American website Space.com on July 18, Indian private aerospace company Skyroot Aerospace successfully launched its self-developed orbital launch vehicle ‘Vikram-1’ on the same day. This launch managed to send multiple payloads into low Earth orbit. As a result, India has become the third country in the world to possess the capability of launching satellites by private enterprises, following China and the United States.
Rocket launch footage
This mission is codenamed “Aagaman” (meaning “arrival” in Sanskrit). The rocket launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Center on Srihariketa Island at 12:05 local time on the 18th. About 17 minutes after launch, the rocket completed all its planned missions and successfully released all its payloads at an altitude of approximately 450 kilometers. The mission control center then announced: “The Vikram-1 Aagaman mission has been a complete success.”
Skyroot was founded in 2018, with its headquarters in Hyderabad, India. It was created by two former engineers from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). In 2022, the company made a significant achievement by sending India's first private enterprise into space using the suborbital rocket "Vikram-S". This launch of "Vikram-1" represents a key step toward launching satellites into orbit.
Vikram-1 is a fourth-stage small launch vehicle, approximately 22 meters tall, capable of carrying about 350 kg of payload into low Earth orbit. This mission carried several commercial payloads, including DCUBED company's technical verification equipment from Germany, Grahaa Space's Naksat satellite from India, an arm for capturing space debris, and Skyroot’s self-developed performance monitoring satellite.
Skyroot CEO Panwa Kumar Chandana stated that global small satellite launch services still face supply shortages, while demand for satellite applications continues to grow, which presents opportunities for the company's development. India Aerospace Industries Association head AK Butt said the mission "broke traditional barriers", proving Indian private enterprises can independently complete orbital space missions.
