New Delhi, July 18. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 18 congratulated Skyroot Aerospace on the successful launch of Vikram-I, describing the mission as a defining moment in India’s space journey, while Union Minister of State for Space Dr Jitendra Singh said the landmark achievement vindicated the government’s decision to open the space sector to private participation.
The Hyderabad-based startup successfully launched Vikram-I from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, becoming the first Indian private company to place a rocket into orbit from Indian soil.
Speaking to the Skyroot Aerospace team after the launch, Prime Minister Modi said the growing participation of the private sector was opening new frontiers in the country’s space programme and accelerating innovation.
In a post on X, the Prime Minister said the achievement would inspire a new generation of innovators.
“This is a defining moment in India’s space journey. The growing participation of our private sector is opening new frontiers and accelerating innovation. This achievement will encourage countless youngsters to dream bigger and innovate fearlessly,” he said.
Witnessing the launch at Sriharikota, Dr. Jitendra Singh described the mission as a historic milestone that established India as a serious player in the rapidly expanding global space economy. He said the success of Vikram-I reflected the transformative impact of the landmark space sector reforms introduced by the Narendra Modi government in 2020, which opened the country’s space ecosystem to private enterprises.
Congratulating Skyroot Aerospace founders Pawan Kumar Chandana and Bharath Daka, the Minister said the reforms had unlocked the potential of Indian entrepreneurs by providing access to national space infrastructure and creating an ecosystem where globally competitive space technologies could be designed, developed and launched from within the country.
He also commended the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) and the Department of Space for creating a robust public-private partnership framework that has enabled the rapid growth of India’s commercial space sector.
Dr Singh noted that Vikram-I demonstrated a high level of technological maturity during its maiden orbital mission. Unlike many first orbital launches that carry only dummy payloads, Vikram-I successfully carried experimental payloads, customer satellites and technology demonstrations from Indian and international partners, highlighting growing global confidence in India’s commercial launch capabilities.
Built entirely in India, Vikram-I is the country’s first privately developed orbital launch vehicle capable of placing payloads of up to 350 kg into Low Earth Orbit. The 22-metre-tall rocket incorporates several indigenous technologies, including an all-carbon composite structure, a fully 3D-printed liquid engine powering its orbital adjustment module, advanced pneumatic separation systems and one of India’s longest monolithic carbon-composite rocket stages. The mission also validated key propulsion, avionics, navigation, telemetry and flight-control systems that will support future commercial launch services.
The Minister said India’s space ecosystem had undergone a remarkable transformation since the 2020 reforms. From having virtually no private launch ecosystem a few years ago, the country now has more than 400 space startups, its first space unicorn and a space economy valued at nearly $9 billion, with the government aiming to expand it to about $44 billion over the next decade.
Describing the mission as more than the success of a single launch, Dr Singh said Vikram-I signalled the beginning of a new era in which policy reforms, scientific excellence and entrepreneurial innovation would drive India’s emergence as a leading global space power.
“For India, the sky is no longer the limit,” he said.
