New Delhi, July 18 -- India's startup ecosystem added a new milestone on Saturday, one that goes far beyond another successful rocket launch.

Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 lifted off from the First Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR), Sriharikota, becoming the first privately developed Indian orbital launch vehicle to successfully place payloads into orbit. For the Hyderabad-based startup, the mission is a major technical achievement. For India's growing space sector, it signals that startups are beginning to take on capabilities once associated almost entirely with national space agencies.

Launched under Mission Aagaman at 12:05 pm IST, the 23-metre rocket completed its planned flight, carrying multiple payloads into a ...