Vikram-1, country’s first private orbital-class rocket, successfully places technical payload and postcards into orbit

ByTech Word News

India reached a major milestone in its space journey on Saturday (July 18, 2026) when Vikram-1, the country’s first privately developed orbital rocket, successfully placed several technology demonstration payloads and postcards — including one from Prime Minister Narendra Modi — into low Earth orbit.

The mission, called “Mission Aagaman” (meaning arrival), marks India’s entry into an elite group of nations with private orbital launch capabilities, making it only the third country in the world to do so via a privately developed launch vehicle. The mission was a “huge success,” the company said.

Skyroot’s Vikram-1, carrying a technology demonstration of cargo and postcards, lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota at the rescheduled time of 12:05 p.m. The launch was temporarily suspended from the original time of 11:30 a.m.

Skyroot’s Vikram-1, India’s first private orbital rocket to be launched on July 18

India’s first privately developed orbital rocket is ready to lift off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota. Developed by private aerospace company Skyroot, Vikram-1 was named after India’s pioneering space scientist Vikram Sarabhai. This will be the first time that an orbital-class missile, fully designed and developed by a private player, will attempt to fly from Indian soil. The launch of the Aagaman mission marks the entry of the Indian private sector into the global launch industry. Vikram-1 is a multi-stage orbital launch vehicle built with an all-carbon composite structure. Powered by proprietary propulsion systems, including 3D printed engines and high-thrust solid-fuel rocket boosters, it is designed to carry small satellites weighing up to 350 kg into low Earth orbit. The goal of the test flight is to see how the technology developed by Skyroot Aerospace performs in real-world conditions. The in-flight data collected from this mission will be used by the company to learn, improve and build further. | Video Credit: Businessline

The rocket was developed by Skyroot Aerospace. Five minutes before the earlier scheduled launch, Skyroot Aerospace announced that there was a ‘planned suspension’.

Minor hiccup

Earlier in the day, about 10 minutes before its scheduled launch, Vikram-1 began its automatic launch sequence. From there, the on-board software starts a countdown, monitors each system, and individually clears each checkpoint until ignition. However, five minutes before the start, the start was postponed.

Later, the Automated Launch Sequence (ALS) was restarted and the launch was rescheduled for 12:05.

Private enterprise

Developed by private space company Skyroot Aerospace, Vikram-1 is a seven-story, multi-stage orbital launch vehicle built with an all-carbon composite structure and powered by proprietary propulsion systems, including 3D-printed engines and high-pressure solid-fuel rocket boosters.

Designed to launch small satellites weighing up to 350 kg into low Earth orbit (LEO), its first test flight is aimed at a 450 km orbit with a 60° inclination. Vikram-1 will carry six technology demos from Grahaa Space, Cosmoserve, DCubed, and SCOPE Skyroot’s own, along with Cosmos Diamonds’ “Cosmic Bloom” artwork and microartwork.

Skyroot Aerospace said the launch decks have been cleared by India’s National Center for Space Support and Authorization (IN-SPACE) – the government agency that supports, authorizes and oversees private sector space activities – granting the launch clearance.

Skyroot reported that all stages of Vikram-1 were successfully integrated and stacked on the launch pad. Final integrated vehicle checks were then completed on the launch pad from the Skyroot launch control center along with interface checks with all ground telemetry stations and tracking radars.

“We have gone all out to test Vikram-1 on the ground. On July 18, we look forward to seeing Vikram-1 perform in a real flight environment for the first time. This is our first test flight and we will be getting valuable data from it. This will be the basis for Skyroot’s aspirations to introduce a launch cadence. We are excited to see it through to completion,” said Chanroot and SkySpace CEO Kumarro.

Mission details

The primary objective of the first test flight of Vikram-1, named Mission Aagaman, is to achieve a successful lift-off, safe release of the turret and collect maximum data during the ascent.

Vikram-1’s flight sequence from liftoff to orbital injection will include 14 stages and the total flight time will be 15.46 minutes.

Skyroot Aerospace said the Aagaman mission, which means “arrival”, marks its second mission after the successful suborbital flight of Vikram-S, the first private rocket to reach space from Indian soil on November 18, 2022.

The Hyderabad-based company said it will be a semi-commercial flight, with the company planning to launch fully commercial flights after one or two successful on-orbit demonstrations.

Built with an all-carbon composite structure and powered by in-house developed solid and liquid propulsion systems, including 3D printed motors, the Vikram-1 is designed for rapid production and high launch cadence. The ready-to-fly missile was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2025.

Statistics on Vikram-1 and the Agyaman mission

  • Height: 22 meters

  • Diameter: 1.7 meters

  • Design capacity: Up to 350 kg into low Earth orbit

  • Configuration: Three fixed stages and a liquid orbital adjustment module

Payload

  • Hugs from Cosmoserve Space

  • Solaras satellite from Graha Space

  • Scope Satellite by Skyroot Aerospace

  • uD3PP and mD3RN from German Dcubed

  • Cosmic Bloom by Cosmos Diamonds

  • Micro Art Tribute by Ajay Kumar Mattewad

Many firsts

  • Vikram-1 is the country’s first privately developed orbital launch vehicle

  • Vikram-1 is India’s first carbon composite orbital rocket

  • Vikram-1 is India’s first 100% 3D printed engine on an orbital vehicle

  • Vikram-1 is India’s longest monolithic carbon composite rocket stage

  • First of its kind ultra-low shock pneumatic separation systems

A historical event

This launch of Vikram-1 comes 46 years after India launched its first experimental Satellite Launch Vehicle-3 (SLV-3).

On July 18, 1980, India became the sixth member of the exclusive club of space nations when SLV-3 was successfully launched from the same location and placed the Rohini satellite (RS-1) into orbit.

A handwritten postcard from Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also travel to space on Vikram-1 along with hundreds of postcards from well-wishers around the world.

After the successful launch of Vikram-1, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a telephonic conversation with the Skyroot Aerospace team. Speaking to Pawan Kumar Chandana, co-founder and CEO of Skyroot Aerospace, he said the launch is a defining moment in India’s space journey. “The growing participation of our private sector is opening new frontiers and accelerating innovation. This success will inspire countless young people to dream bigger and innovate fearlessly,” the Prime Minister said.

Published – 18 Jul 2026 11:48 IST