India’s Skyroot Aerospace launches Vikram‑1, first private orbital rocket

On 18 July 2026, Skyroot Aerospace successfully launched its Vikram‑1 rocket from ISRO’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The seven‑stage vehicle lifted off at 12:05 IST (06:35 GMT), flew for 16 minutes and inserted its payload into a low‑Earth orbit of roughly 450 km after travelling about 280 miles. Vikram‑1 can carry up to 350 kg of cargo, positioning Skyroot as the first Indian private company to reach orbit and making India the third nation, after the United States and China, to achieve private orbital launch capability.

The launch highlights the rapid growth of India’s private space sector, which now includes around 400 startups and has attracted significant talent from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). ISRO officials have expressed concern over the departure of about 120 scientists in the past year and have issued a memorandum to retain staff, emphasizing the need for coexistence between the government agency and private firms to meet India’s ambitious space goals, such as the Gaganyaan crewed mission and a future space station.