"Thank you for taking Singapore along," says High Commissioner Simon Wong on Vikram-1's successful launch
New Delhi, July 18
In a monumental stride for India's commercial space landscape, Skyroot Aerospace on Saturday successfully executed the maiden orbital flight of its Vikram-1 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
The landmark mission, christened "Mission Aagaman", officially marks the entry of the country's private enterprise into the elite global club of commercial entities capable of independently building and launching orbital-class rockets.
Highlighting the global impact of this achievement, Singapore's High Commissioner to India, Simon Wong, celebrated the successful orbital launch, underlining the deepening space ties between the two nations.
In a post on X marking the milestone, the High Commission shared the envoy's celebratory and emotional response to the landmark space mission, "#VandeMataram! History made! @SkyrootA's #Vikram1 has reached orbit."
High Commissioner Wong stated, "Thank you #isro #inspaceind #skyroot for taking a small nation like Singapore along with you to space and beyond. Very emotional now. HC Wong."
Following the launch, Wong also spoke with Naga Bharath Daka, Co-Founder of Skyroot Aerospace, to congratulate the team.
The high-stakes launch proceeded smoothly despite a brief initial delay caused by an internal hold, after which the multi-stage, seven-storey-tall launch vehicle demonstrated flawless execution.
The rocket achieved nominal performance across all four stages to precisely deploy its satellite payloads on the very first attempt.
Recognising the gravity of the achievement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached out to the Skyroot team via a phone call to extend his congratulations on the grand success of the mission on its maiden attempt.
Built entirely out of carbon-composite materials, the advanced rocket possesses the capability to deliver payloads of up to 350 kilograms into Low Earth Orbit.
The vehicle features cutting-edge, internally developed propulsion systems, including high-performance solid motors and advanced 3D-printed engines.
This technical capability was put to the test as the debut flight served as a launchpad for multiple technology demonstrators from Grahaa Space, Cosmoserve and DCubed, alongside the aerospace startup's own SCOPE experiment.
Notably, the rocket also transported a series of symbolic items, highlighted by a postcard featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi's handwritten "Vande Mataram" message, alongside written notes from current and former ISRO chairmen, Indian astronauts, company workers, investors and supporters from around the world.
The successful mission serves as a massive validation for India's sweeping space-sector liberalisation, which enabled private innovators to manufacture launch vehicles and satellites in tandem with ISRO.
Set up in 2018 by former ISRO scientists Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka, Skyroot envisioned making space access more affordable and previously made history in 2022 when its Vikram-S vehicle became the nation's inaugural privately built rocket to reach space.
The telemetry gathered from the orbital triumph is slated to provide vital engineering insights to help the Hyderabad-based firm refine the Vikram launch vehicle family and establish a regular commercial launch cadence.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Amazing achievement! As someone from the US, I'm impressed by how India is opening up its space sector to private players. Skyroot's success on the first orbital attempt is exceptional. The "Vande Mataram" postcard from PM Modi is a nice touch too.
Finally, India's private space dreams are taking flight! 🌟 But I hope ISRO and Skyroot collaborate closely—government backing is crucial for safety and reliability. Also, love how Singapore feels included; space truly has no borders.
This is huge for the global space industry! India is proving that private companies can achieve what only governments used to do. The carbon-composite tech and 3D-printed engines are cutting-edge. Skyroot's journey from Vikram-S to orbital is inspiring.
What a proud day for Hyderabad and India! 🎉 Founded by ex-ISRO scientists, Skyroot is proof that our talent is world-class. But we need to ensure this success translates into affordable launch services for smaller nations, not just profitability. Modiji's call shows government support is real.
Incredible milestone! The fact that Vikram-1 carried payloads from multiple companies shows India's commitment to serving global clients. Singapore's enthusiasm is well-deserved. This is what space cooperation should look like.
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