India’s first private orbital rocket to launch on 18 July, Vikram-1 to carry ‘Diamond Lotus’, postcard from PM Modi

India’s first private orbital rocket is set to launch at 11:30 AM on Saturday (18 July) from the historic First Launch Pad at SDSC-SHAR, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

It will be the first test flight of the Vikram-1 rocket, built by Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace. It will be launched as part of Mission Aagaman on Saturday.

What's flying aboard Vikram-1?

Among the payloads on Vikram-1 Test Flight-1 is "something truly special" — a handwritten postcard from Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the words “Vande Mataram,” Skyroot Aerospace said.

“It travels to space alongside handwritten messages from our team, investors, policymakers, and well-wishers across the globe, making Mission Aagaman a celebration carried by many hands and shared by millions,” the company's co-founder said.

Other payloads on Vikram-1's Test Flight-1, Mission Aagaman, include multiple technology demonstrations:

1. Grahaa Space's SOLARAS S3 satellite

2. Cosmoserve Space's in-orbit robotic arm Embrace

3. An in-orbit demonstration from Germany's DCUBED (Deployables Cubed GmbH)

4. Skyroot's own SCOPE satellite

5. Artwork Cosmic Bloom: lab-grown "Diamond Lotus" developed by Bengaluru-based Cosmos Diamonds.

6. A Microart by Ajay Kumar Mattewada — an 18K gold rocket holding micro-sculptures of Sir CV Raman, Dr Vikram Sarabhai (Vikram-1's namesake), and Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, each smaller than a grain of rice.

About Vikram-1

Vikram-1 is powered by three solid-fuel stages and a liquid orbital adjustment module. Skyroot Aerospace Founder and CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana said Vikram-1 builds on the company's first private rocket demonstration conducted in 2022.

"Skyroot launched India's first private rocket in 2022 [Vikram-S], and that was a test rocket to prove the technology. This is the first time in India that a private company has developed an orbital rocket, taken it to the launch site, and it is going to take off soon," he said.

Vikram-1 is the country's first orbital rocket built entirely using carbon-composite material.

"It is the first rocket to go to orbit that has been completely built with carbon composite. Carbon fibre is five times lighter than the strongest steel, making the rocket lighter and more efficient," he said.

Skyroot Aerospace Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Naga Bharath Daka said it is a three-stage orbital-class rocket equipped with an orbital adjustment module capable of deploying multiple satellites into orbit.

"It has three stages of solid propulsion and one orbital adjustment module that can put multiple satellites in orbit around the Earth. It is one of the first all-carbon fibre rockets in India and is extremely efficient and light," he said.

He added that the vehicle incorporates several technologies being used for the first time in India.

"We've used multiple effective technologies like 3D-printed rocket engines. All the liquid engines on the stage are metallic 3D-printed engines. A lot of process innovation and design innovation has gone into this vehicle. Thanks to the heritage and wisdom of ISRO scientists and the manufacturing ecosystem they built, we have been able to realise this rocket," Daka said.

Mission Aagaman is designed to deploy payloads weighing up to 350 kg into a 450-km Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with a 60-degree inclination.

What Vikram-1 test flight means for India

The successful launch of Vikram-1 will mark a significant milestone in India's space history, when a privately developed rocket will attempt to place satellites into Earth's orbit, independent of a government-developed rocket or launch vehicle programme.

"For India, this is the first time a privately designed, developed, and manufactured orbital rocket has been stacked on this pad [First Launch Pad, Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota]," the company said in a post on X earlier.

IN-SPACe Technical Director Rajesh Jothi told ANI that Vikram-1's success could significantly boost India's commercial launch capabilities.

"Skyroot is now going to launch its maiden launch vehicle, which will be the first of its kind. Not only in India, but outside India as well, only one or two countries have such a small satellite launch vehicle. If this succeeds, it is going to give a boost to both the small satellite market and the small launch vehicle market," he added.

Vikram-1 aims higher after Vikram-S

With the Vikram-1 launch, the company aims higher than it did with Vikram-S in 2022. The 18 July launch will follow the successful Vikram-S launch in November 2022, which will take Skyroot's ambitions from suborbital to orbital missions.

Skyroot Aerospace explained that the Vikram-S launch in 2022 proved that a private Indian company could build and launch a rocket to space. But suborbital and orbital (Vikram-1) are entirely different problems.

It explained that getting to orbit means building a rocket that can not just carry satellites, but also place them precisely in orbit around Earth.

"We started with a conviction: satellite operators worldwide deserve reliable, affordable, dedicated access to orbit. Vikram-S proved the technology in 2022. Vikram-1 takes it to orbit,' the company said.