A seven-storey rocket named after the father of India’s space programme lifted off from a barrier island off the country’s south-eastern coast on Saturday, carrying not just six payloads but the hopes of a nascent private space industry. Vikram-1, built by Hyderabad-based startup Skyroot Aerospace, blasted off from the Indian Space Research Organisation’s launch facility in Sriharikota at 12:05pm local time after a last-minute delay from its scheduled 11:30am liftoff. About 15 minutes later it had reached a 450km low Earth orbit, completing its maiden mission, dubbed Aagman – Sanskrit for “arrival”.
“The mission objective was to simply clear the tower. It went all the way up to 450km orbit, successfully completed all the tasks and [that’s] something that is way beyond expected in the very first launch,” said Pawan Kumar Goenka, chairman of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), according to the Press Trust of India. The achievement makes India only the third country, after the US and China, with a private company capable of orbital launches.
“India’s first private orbital rocket, Vikram-1, launched by Skyroot Aerospace, reached low Earth orbit on Saturday.”
Skyroot, which recently became India’s first space-tech unicorn after reaching a $1.1bn valuation, now wants to revolutionise how small satellites get to orbit. Co-founder and CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana told the BBC that access to space remains “a major bottleneck, with satellite operators often waiting for months or even years for a launch opportunity”. His answer: what he calls a “cab service to space”. “If you want to just go to a friend’s house, you don’t need a train, you book a cab, an Uber. What we are offering is a cab service to space,” Chandana said.
Vikram-1, named after Vikram Sarabhai – the father of India’s space programme – can carry payloads of up to 350kg. On its test flight it carried six objects, including a robotic arm for removing space debris, an Earth observation camera and satellites – one from German aerospace company DCubed. It also carried symbolic payloads that generated buzz in India: a lotus made of lab-grown diamonds and a tiny gold rocket with micro-sculptures of three of India’s most revered scientists.
The launch marks a turning point for India’s commercial space sector, which for decades was dominated by the state-run ISRO. That changed in 2020 when the government opened the sector to private investment, and established IN-SPACe to give startups access to launch sites and expertise. The government has said it wants to grow India’s space economy from about $8bn to $44bn by 2033. Skyroot’s success suggests private companies will play a leading role in that ambition.
The launch signals a new chapter for India’s ambitions in the global space market, one where a startup can offer a dedicated ride for a satellite – as Chandana put it, taking a taxi instead of waiting for a train.
