India's first private rocket, Skyroot's Vikram-1, reaches orbit

India's first privately built rocket successfully reached orbit on Saturday, marking a milestone for the country's commercial space sector. The Vikram-1 rocket, developed by Skyroot Aerospace, lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on Sriharikota Island in the Bay of Bengal, carrying a payload into a 280-mile-high orbit. The launch was initially delayed by over half an hour due to a last-minute technical issue, but after resolving the problem, the countdown resumed and the solid-fueled first stage ignited, propelling the rocket off the pad. Indian space officials hailed the mission as a 'grand success.' This achievement makes Skyroot Aerospace the first Indian private company to launch a fully commercial satellite launcher, opening up new opportunities for domestic and international customers seeking affordable access to space. The Vikram-1 is a small-lift rocket designed to carry small satellites into low Earth orbit. The successful flight follows years of development and testing by Skyroot, which was founded in 2018. The company now plans to scale up operations and pursue additional launches, aiming to capture a share of the growing small satellite launch market. The next steps include analyzing flight data and preparing for future missions, with the goal of establishing a regular launch cadence.