New Delhi, July 19 -- The successful orbital insertion of the Vikram-1 rocket under Mission Aagaman yesterday (18 July 2026), marks the definitive decentralisation of India's space program. Developed by Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace, the multi-stage vehicle lifted off at 12:05 pm IST from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR) in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh state off the Bay of Bengal. After a 15.46-minute flight, the mission successfully placed six customer satellites into a 450-km Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

This milestone positions India alongside the United States and China as the only nations possessing active, private orbital launch capabilities. This launch transitions the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from a mono...