The Eastern Voice correspondent 

New Delhi. India reached a major space milestone on July 18, 2026, as Skyroot Aerospace successfully launched its first private orbital rocket, Vikram-1. The 24-meter-tall rocket lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on its debut mission, Aagaman (“Arrival”), and accurately placed its payloads, including the SCOPE and Grahaa satellites, into Low Earth Orbit.

With this success, Skyroot became the first private Indian company to carry out an orbital launch from Indian soil, achieving the feat on its very first attempt. As a result, India became only the third country in the world, after the United States and China, to have private orbital launch capability.

Coinciding with the 46th anniversary of ISRO’s historic SLV-3 launch, Vikram-1 demonstrated advanced technology with its all-carbon composite structure, high-thrust solid stages, and 3D-printed liquid upper engines. After its 2022 suborbital test, Skyroot’s successful move to orbital launches opens the way for India to secure a significant share of the global small-satellite launch market.