India's first private rocket lifts off on historic test flight, all e…

Skyroot Aerospace successfully launched Vikram-1, India's first privately developed orbital-class rocket, from Sriharikota on 18 July 2026, achieving all four stages and satellite deployment on first attempt. The mission marks India's entry into the commercial orbital launch market alongside SpaceX, Rocket Lab, and a handful of other private operators. If you build satellites or need launch capacity in Asia, you now have a proven Indian launch provider that flies from Indian soil. This cuts your export friction and gives you a second source outside SpaceX and Rocket Lab — call Skyroot this week.