New Delhi, July 20 -- Skyroot Aerospace founder Pawan Kumar Chandana is finally getting some sleep. After weeks of surviving on just three to four hours of rest a night as his team prepared for the historic Vikram-1 mission, Chandana says he's a little more relaxed now that India's first privately developed orbital rocket has successfully placed satellites in space.

But the respite will be brief-the company is already preparing for its next launch later this year, while accelerating work on the more powerful Vikram-2.

The successful mission marks a milestone for the country's private space sector. India formally opened its space sector to private participation in 2020, introducing reforms that allowed private companies to build, own and...