NEW DELHI, July 18 (ANI): In a major milestone for India’s commercial space sector, Skyroot Aerospace on Saturday successfully completed the maiden orbital flight of its Vikram-1 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
The landmark mission, named “Mission Aagaman,” marks the entry of an Indian private company into the select group of global commercial entities capable of independently developing and launching orbital-class rockets.
Highlighting the international significance of the achievement, Singapore’s High Commissioner to India, Simon Wong, celebrated the successful launch, underscoring the growing space cooperation between India and Singapore.
In a post on X, the High Commission shared Wong’s reaction to the milestone, writing, “#VandeMataram! History made! @SkyrootA’s #Vikram1 has reached orbit.”
High Commissioner Wong said, “Thank you #ISRO #IN-SPACe #Skyroot for taking a small nation like Singapore along with you to space and beyond. Very emotional now. HC Wong.”
Following the launch, Wong also spoke with Skyroot Aerospace Co-Founder Naga Bharath Daka to congratulate the team.
The launch proceeded successfully after a brief delay caused by an internal hold. The multi-stage, seven-story-tall launch vehicle performed nominally across all four stages, deploying its satellite payloads into orbit on its first attempt.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke with the Skyroot team by phone to congratulate them on the successful maiden mission.
Built entirely from carbon-composite materials, Vikram-1 is designed to carry payloads of up to 350 kilograms into low Earth orbit.
The rocket incorporates advanced propulsion technologies developed in-house, including high-performance solid rocket motors and 3D-printed engines.
The inaugural mission carried multiple technology demonstration payloads from Grahaa Space, Cosmoserve, and DCubed, in addition to Skyroot Aerospace’s own SCOPE experiment.
The rocket also carried several symbolic items, including a postcard bearing Prime Minister Modi’s handwritten message, “Vande Mataram,” along with written notes from current and former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairmen, Indian astronauts, Skyroot employees, investors, and supporters from around the world.
The mission represents a significant validation of India’s space-sector reforms, which have opened the industry to private companies developing launch vehicles and satellites alongside ISRO.
Founded in 2018 by former ISRO scientists Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka, Skyroot Aerospace aims to make access to space more affordable. The company previously made history in 2022 when its Vikram-S vehicle became India’s first privately developed rocket to reach space.
Data collected during the successful orbital mission will provide valuable engineering insights to help the Hyderabad-based company further develop the Vikram launch vehicle family and support future commercial launch operations. (ANI)
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