Sriharikota, July 18 -- India's private space sector crossed its biggest milestone yet on Saturday as Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 rocket reached orbit on its very first test flight and successfully deployed its payloads. With the mission, India joins the United States and China as only the third country where a privately built rocket has independently achieved orbital launch capability.

The flight, designated Mission Aagaman, lifted off from the First Launch Pad at ISRO's Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the Skyroot team on the achievement, calling attention to what the mission means for the country's growing commercial space ambitions.

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