Vikram-1, country’s first private orbital-class rocket, successfully places tech payloads, postcards into orbit
India achieved a major milestone in its space journey on Saturday (July 18, 2026) as Vikram-1, the country’s first privately developed orbital rocket, successfully placed multiple technology demonstration payloads and postcards — including from Prime Minister Narendra Modi — into a low earth orbit. Dubbed ‘Mission Aagaman’ (meaning arrival), the mission marks India’s entry into an elite group of nations with private orbital launch capability, making it only the third country in the world to achieve the feat through a privately developed launch vehicle. The mission was a “grand success,” the company said. Skyroot’s Vikram-1, carrying technology demonstration payloads and postcards, lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at the rescheduled time of 12:05 p.m. The launch was temporarily put on hold from its 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 blast off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. Developed by Skyroot, a private aerospace company, Vikram-1 has been named …
