India achieves milestone with launch of first private-sector orbital rocket

What the report says

Al Jazeera, citing AFP and Reuters, reported that India has carried out a successful test of its first privately built orbital rocket, a development tied to New Delhi’s wider push to expand its role in the global space industry. The Vikram-1 rocket, developed by Skyroot Aerospace, lifted off on July 18, 2026, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota and placed customer payloads into low-Earth orbit at about 450km above Earth.

The 22-metre, three-stage rocket is described as capable of carrying up to 350kg. According to the report, the mission also tested key systems including propulsion, avionics, telemetry, guidance, navigation and control. The flight carried experimental equipment as well as symbolic items, including a lab-grown diamond and a small gold sculpture marking India’s national space programme.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the launch, saying it would encourage young people to think ambitiously and innovate. Skyroot, founded in 2018, is part of a growing group of Indian space startups that have benefited from reforms opening the sector to private enterprise. Al Jazeera reported that the company became India’s first space-sector firm to reach a $1bn valuation earlier in 2026.

The launch builds on Skyroot’s 2022 Vikram-S suborbital mission, which reached space but did not enter orbit. The company plans more test flights before moving into regular commercial operations. The achievement adds to India’s recent space milestones, including its 2017 multi-satellite launch record and the Chandrayaan-3 lunar landing near the moon’s south pole in 2023.