BJP MP Anurag Thakur on Saturday, 18 July 2026, called the maiden orbital launch of Vikram 1 by Skyroot Aerospace a 'historic lift off,' crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's space-sector reforms for enabling India's first privately developed rocket to reach Low Earth Orbit under Mission Aagaman.

Context

Thakur's post described the event as 'not just a great achievement but a historic lift off,' adding that 'our young scientists have proved that India and its space startups are capable of developing and executing a state of the art, reliable and high cadence launch programme built entirely in India.' The mission, named Mission Aagaman, marks the first time an Indian private company has successfully placed a domestically developed rocket into orbit.

Skyroot Aerospace, founded in 2018 and headquartered in Hyderabad, developed Vikram 1 — named after space pioneer Vikram Sarabhai — as a small-lift launch vehicle targeting the commercial satellite market. The company is among the earliest cohort of private launch startups to emerge after India opened its space sector to non-government players.

Policy Backdrop

In June 2020, the Modi government announced landmark space-sector reforms permitting private entities to conduct satellite launches, build launch infrastructure, and offer space-based services commercially. These reforms were part of the broader Atmanirbhar Bharat framework, which sought to reduce dependence on foreign technology and build indigenous end-to-end capability.

The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), established in 2020, was created as a single-window regulatory body to fast-track approvals for private-sector space projects. It has since served as the primary interface between the government, ISRO, and companies like Skyroot. Thakur noted that the reforms and innovations undertaken by the government are 'poised to make India a major player in the global space sector in the years to come.'

Stakeholders and Impact

The successful orbital insertion of Vikram 1 is significant for India's growing private space ecosystem, which now spans launch vehicles, satellite manufacturing, and downstream data services. A demonstrated end-to-end orbital launch capability by a private Indian firm signals to global satellite operators that domestic rideshare options exist, potentially attracting commercial contracts that have historically gone to established foreign providers.

Young engineers and scientists at Skyroot are at the centre of this milestone, a point Thakur emphasised in his post. The achievement also reinforces the case for sustained government facilitation — through IN-SPACe licensing, technology transfer from ISRO, and access to launch infrastructure — as the ecosystem matures and more private launch developers advance their programmes.

What's Next

The focus now shifts to whether Skyroot Aerospace can translate this debut orbital success into a regular, commercially competitive launch cadence. Analysts and industry observers will watch for follow-on mission announcements, payload manifests, and any further easing of licensing norms by IN-SPACe that could lower barriers for the next wave of Indian private launch developers.

India's ability to sustain and scale this momentum — across multiple private players, not just a single milestone mission — will determine how quickly the country can capture a meaningful share of the rapidly expanding global small-satellite and rideshare market. As Thakur put it: 'The future of space belongs to India.'