India's First Private Orbital Rocket Vikram-1 Inches Closer To Launch

India has opened up its space sector to private players, moving beyond a model dominated by ISRO, with IN-SPACe providing a regulatory pathway and private launches like Vikram-1.

Vikram-1 is a multi-stage launch vehicle designed to carry small satellites, up to 350 kg, into low Earth orbit. It is around seven storeys tall and built using carbon composite structures, powered by solid and liquid propulsion systems, including 3D-printed engines.

Countdown operations, testing and integration now shift fully to the launch site, with launch campaign activities set to begin at the spaceport.

At Sriharikota, the rocket moves into final assembly and a round of system checks before a launch window is locked in the coming months.

The mission is being cleared by IN-SPACe, with ISRO providing technical oversight.

Officials said pre-flight testing has been completed, with key propulsion stages already positioned at the spaceport.

The rollout included the payload fairing, the structure that shields satellites during flight.

The Vikram-1 rocket is on its way to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota ahead of its first launch attempt.

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy flagged off the Vikram-1 rocket from Hyderabad, initiating its journey to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, where the final phase — integration, system checks and launch preparations — will begin.

In 2022, Skyroot Aerospace carried out a suborbital launch with Vikram-S, marking the entry of private players into India's spaceflight ecosystem.