Khandu hails India's first private orbital rocket launch

Itanagar, Jul 18 (PTI) Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Saturday hailed the successful launch of Vikram-1 Test Flight-1, India's first privately developed orbital rocket, saying the landmark achievement marks the dawn of a new era for the country's space sector and reflects the growing strength of Indian science, technology and entrepreneurship. In a social media post, Khandu said that with the landmark mission, India becomes only the third nation to achieve a successful private orbital launch capability. “Vikram-1 Test Flight-1, the country's first privately developed orbital rocket, has successfully reached orbit and deployed its payloads into a 450 km orbit,” the chief minister said in a post on X. Describing the mission as a defining moment for the country's space programme, he said the achievement showcased India's rapidly expanding capabilities in advanced technology and innovation. “A proud milestone for Indian science, technology, and entrepreneurship. The future of India's space sector has truly lifted off,” Khandu added. The Vikram-1 rocket, developed by Hyderabad-based private space startup Skyroot Aerospace, lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota under its maiden orbital mission, Mission Aagaman, and successfully placed multiple payloads into a 450-km low-Earth orbit, marking India's first successful privately developed orbital launch. The mission is being seen as a major milestone for India's commercial space programme, made possible by reforms that opened the country's space sector to private participation. The successful launch is expected to strengthen India's position in the global commercial launch market and accelerate the growth of the country's private space ecosystem, which has expanded rapidly following policy reforms in recent years. PTI UPL NN