Goa, July 18 -- India's private space industry achieved a historic milestone on Saturday as Skyroot Aerospace successfully launched Vikram-1, the country's first privately developed orbital-class rocket. The launch took place from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR) in Sriharikota and marked India's entry into an elite group of nations where private companies have independently built and launched orbital rockets.

The mission, named Mission Aagaman, witnessed a flawless debut as Vikram-1 completed all stages of flight successfully. The four-stage launch vehicle performed exactly as planned, with each stage operating nominally before successfully deploying its payload into the intended orbit.

Standing nearly seven storeys tall, Vik...