What Happened
Private Indian Rocket Reaches Orbit, Expanding Country's Space Capabilities
Skyroot Aerospace’s Vikram-1 rocket successfully reached a 450 km orbit on July 18, 2026, marking the first time a privately built Indian rocket has achieved orbit. The launch, which was conducted from ISRO’s First Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, carried two payloads, including a technology demonstration satellite from Grahaa Space and Skyroot’s own SCOPE satellite. The mission, dubbed Mission Aagaman, demonstrates India’s growing capabilities in the space industry and marks the end of ISRO’s monopoly on Indian orbital launch. This development was first reported by Unknown Source.