On Saturday, July 18, 2026, India's private space company Skyroot Aerospace made history by successfully launching its Vikram-1 rocket into orbit. The seven-storey rocket lifted off at 12:05 local time from the Indian Space Research Organisation's launch facility in Sriharikota, southern India. In just 16 minutes, it reached Low Earth Orbit at an altitude of 450 kilometres.

This achievement makes India only the third country — after the United States and China — to have a private company capable of orbital launches. Skyroot, founded in 2018 by two former ISRO engineers, recently became India's first space-tech unicorn after its valuation surpassed $1.1 billion. The mission, named "Aagman" — Sanskrit for arrival — successfully placed six payloads into orbit.

The payloads included a robotic arm designed to remove space debris, an Earth observation camera, and several small satellites. Among the mission's most striking cargo was a lotus crafted from lab-grown diamonds and a tiny gold rocket holding micro-sculptures of three legendary Indian scientists — each smaller than a grain of rice. The launch attracted widespread attention across India and around the world.

Skyroot CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana described their model as offering a "cab service to space" — a flexible, on-demand launch system for small satellites. Rather than waiting months or years for a ride on large shared rockets, customers can book a dedicated mission tailored to their specific orbital needs. The company currently produces one rocket per month at its factory in Hyderabad.

India opened its space sector to private firms in 2020, and over 400 space start-ups have since been established. The government aims to raise India's share of the global space market from 2% to 10% by 2030. Skyroot plans a second test flight later this year before launching commercial services in 2027.