The launch of Vikram-1, India’s first privately developed orbital-class rocket, which was scheduled to lift off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota on July 18 at 11.30 am, was put on hold temporarily. A new schedule was announced, and the rocket will be launched at 12.05 PM.
Skyroot’s Vikram-1, India’s first private orbital rocket to be launched on July 18
India’s first privately developed orbital rocket is ready to blast off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
Developed by Skyroot, a private aerospace company, Vikram-1 has been named after India’s pioneering space scientist Vikram Sarabhai.This will be the first time an orbital-class rocket, fully designed and developed by a private player, will attempt to fly from Indian soil.The Mission Aagaman launch marks the arrival of India’s private sector in the global launch business.
Vikram-1 is a multi-stage orbital launch vehicle built with an all-carbon-composite structure.
It is powered by in-house developed propulsion systems, including 3D-printed engines and high-thrust solid-fuel rocket boosters, and is designed to carry small satellites weighing up to 350 kg to Low Earth Orbit.
The test flight is meant to see how the technology developed by Skyroot Aerospace performs in real-world conditions.
The in-flight data gathered from this mission will be used by the company to learn, improve, and build further.
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The rocket was developed by Skyroot Aerospace. Five minutes before lift-off, Skyroot Aerospace announced that there is a ‘planned hold’.
Around 10 minutes before the scheduled launch, the Vikram-1 had begun its Automated Launch Sequence. From here, the onboard software runs the countdown — monitoring every system and clearing each checkpoint on its own, all the way to ignition. However, five minutes before the lift off, the launch was put on hold.
Later, the Automated Launch Sequence (ALS) was restarted, and the lift-off was re-scheduled at 12.05 p.m.
Private enterprise
Developed by private space launch company Skyroot Aerospace, Vikram-1 is a seven-storey-tall, multi-stage orbital launch vehicle built with an all-carbon composite structure and powered by in-house developed propulsion systems, including 3D-printed engines and high-thrust solid-fuel rocket boosters.
Designed to carry small satellites weighing up to 350 kg to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), its first test flight is targeting a 450-km orbit at a 60° inclination. Vikram-1 will carry six technology demonstration payloads from Grahaa Space, Cosmoserve, DCubed and Skyroot’s own SCOPE, along with Cosmos Diamonds’ artwork “Cosmic Bloom”, and a micro-art piece.
Skyroot Aerospace said that the decks for the launch had been cleared with the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) — the government agency to promote, permit, and oversee private-sector space activities — granting launch authorisation.
Skyroot said all stages of Vikram-1 have been successfully integrated and stacked on the launch pad. Following this, the final integrated checks of the vehicle on the launch pad from Skyroot’s launch control centre have been completed, along with the interface checks with all telemetry ground stations and tracking radars.
“We have done everything to test Vikram-1 on the ground. On July 18, we are eager to see how Vikram-1 performs in a real flight environment for the first time. This is our first test flight, and we will be getting valuable data from it. This will be foundational to Skyroot’s aspirations to establish launch cadence. We are excited to see this through,” said Pawan Kumar Chandana, co-founder and CEO of Skyroot Aerospace.
A handwritten postcard from Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also travel to space on Vikram-1, along with hundreds of cards from well-wishers across the world.
Historic event
This launch of Vikram-1 comes 46 years after India launched its first experimental Satellite Launch Vehicle-3 (SLV-3).
On July 18, 1980, India became the sixth member of an exclusive club of spacefaring nations when the SLV-3 was successfully launched from the same venue, placing the Rohini Satellite (RS-1) into orbit.
Published – July 18, 2026 11:48 am IST
