"Mission Aagaman": Skyroot's Vikram-1 reaches orbit, marks new era for India's private space sector
Sriharikota, July 18
Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 Test Flight-1 has successfully reached orbit, marking the maiden flight of India's first privately developed orbital-class rocket.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Skyroot Aerospace on the successful launch.
The rocket completed its final burn and injected its payloads into a nearly 450-km orbit, making India the third country in the world with private orbital launch capability.
The mission, named "Mission Aagaman", was executed from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The 24-metre carbon-composite rocket completed all planned flight stages, including stage separations and the firing of its Orbital Adjustment Module (OAM).
The Orbital Adjustment Module fired its 3D-printed liquid engine for the final push to orbit. The module is designed to start, stop and restart in space.
During the flight, Kalam-1200, the solid first stage, carried the rocket through the thickest part of the atmosphere before separating cleanly. The payload fairing was then separated, exposing the satellites to space for the first time.
The second stage, Kalam-250, completed its burn and separated, followed by the ignition of Kalam-100, the smallest and highest-flying solid stage of Vikram-1.
The solid-propulsion phase concluded with the separation of Stage 3, paving the way for the Orbital Adjustment Module to complete the mission.
The Vikram-1 rocket, powered by three solid-fuel stages and a liquid orbital adjustment module, is designed to deploy payloads up to 350 kg into a 450-km Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
The maiden flight carried multiple payloads, including the "Diamond Lotus", a lab-grown diamond from Bengaluru-based Cosmos Diamonds.
Among the payloads on Vikram-1 Test Flight-1 is something truly special--a handwritten postcard from PM Modi with the words, "Vande Mataram." It travels to space alongside handwritten messages from the Skyroot team, investors, policymakers, and well-wishers across the globe, making Mission Aagaman a celebration carried by many hands and shared by millions.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Lab-grown diamond on board—that's so cool! India is not just a service economy anymore; we're making real things. But I wish they had mentioned if this will help reduce launch costs for small satellites. That's the real game-changer.
Impressive work by Skyroot. The 3D-printed engine and carbon composite structure show real innovation. India is definitely becoming a space hub to watch. With private companies like this, the global space race just got more interesting.
Very nice but I hope we are also focusing on making things cheaper. Private sector competition should bring down costs for launching small satellites. Still, this is a big step. Jai Hind!
The "Mission Aagaman" name is beautiful—return or arrival, it feels like India's private space journey has truly arrived. I'm also amazed by the 3D-printed liquid engine that can restart in space. That's next-level engineering.
Good progress but my only concern is that we should not become too dependent on private players for critical space missions. ISRO must remain the backbone. Congratulations to Skyroot team nonetheless. Hard work pays off.
Solid engineering from Skyroot. The
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