Indian startup launches first privately developed Vikram-1 orbital rocket

Indian startup Skyroot Aerospace has launched the country's first private Vikram-1 orbital rocket, which will allow the company to take its place in the global commercial space flight market. This was reported by the Reuters news agency on July 18.

The Vikram-1 rocket launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota at 6:35 a.m. GMT (09:35 GMT). The first test flight took place as part of an orbital mission called Aagaman.

"The Aagaman mission is a tremendous success. <...> This is a test flight. We will conduct several more such flights before proceeding to regular commercial launches," the Indian company said in a statement.

The Vikram-1 launch vehicle with a height of about 22 m is designed to launch payloads weighing up to 350 kg into low Earth orbit. The rocket uses three solid-fuel stages and a liquid-fuel orbital correction module powered by a 3D-printed engine. According to the company's representatives, these technologies are being used in India for the first time.

The launch of the Vikram-1 orbital rocket marked a new stage in the development of Skyroot Aerospace, which successfully launched the Vikram-C rocket in 2022 during its first private suborbital flight.

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