India's Private Rocket 'Vikram-1' Succeeds in First Orbit Entry... Third After US and China

An Indian private space enterprise has successfully entered orbit. India has become the third nation to secure private orbital capabilities, following the United States and China.

On the 18th (local time), the rocket 'Vikram-1,' developed by space startup 'Skyroot Aerospace,' was test-launched at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh, India. It deployed its payload into a 450km altitude orbit in approximately 15 minutes. Through this test launch, Skyroot plans to complete core technology verification and conduct additional trials before commercial flights.

This launch success was made possible by the Indian government's policy in 2020 to open the space development sector—previously monopolized by state agencies for decades—to the private sector and to deregulate the industry.