India achieves milestone with launch of first private-sector orbital rocket

PM Narendra Modi says successful launch will ‘encourage countless youngsters to dream bigger and innovate fearlessly’.India has successfully tested its first private-sector orbital rocket, marking a milestone in New Delhi’s ambition to become a major player in the global space economy.The three-stage 22-metre Vikram-1 was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota and deployed customer payloads into a 450km (280-mile) low-Earth orbit, making India the third country to achieve orbital launch capability through private enterprise.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3India is becoming a shaping powerlist 2 of 3India succeeds in historic space docking mission: Why it’s a big deallist 3 of 3Tata-ASML deal: How significant is it for India’s semiconductor push?end of listVikram-1 can carry a payload of up to 350kg (772lb) and is equipped with robotic arms that can clear space debris.It also carried experimental equipment, a lab-grown diamond and a miniature 18-carat gold sculpture commemorating India’s national space programme.Vikram-1 blasts off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre [R Satish Babu/AFP]India Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the achievement, saying that it will “encourage countless youngsters to dream bigger and innovate fearlessly”.The test validated the rocket’s propulsion, avionics, telemetry, guidance, navigation and control systems during flight, according to manufacturer Skyroot Aerospace.Founded in 2018, Skyroot is among a new generation of Indian space startups that have attracted backing from global investors following the sector’s liberalisation.It became the first space-sector company in the ⁠country to hit a $1bn valuation earlier this year.Skyroot celebrated the successful mission with a post on X stating: “Hello space, we have arrived!”Vikram-1 improves upon Skyroot’s Vikram-S mission in 2022. That suborbital flight reached space but did not place payloads into orbit.