Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday congratulated Skyroot Aerospace after the successful launch of Vikram-1, India’s first privately developed orbital launch vehicle, calling it a “great achievement
for the country” and “a significant milestone in the country’s space journey.”
Speaking to the Skyroot team over the phone shortly after the launch, the prime minister said he had watched the historic liftoff and praised the young engineers behind the mission.
“I was watching the launch,” Modi told the team, adding that “the team behind the launch is a very young team.”
“I congratulate the whole team,” he said.
VIDEO | Sri Harikota, Andhra Pradesh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) congratulates Skyroot Aerospace over a telephone call after India’s first privately developed orbital rocket, Vikram-1, successfully reaches orbit, completing its final burn and injecting payloads… pic.twitter.com/lctCsAwMtu
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 18, 2026
The Hyderabad-based startup’s Mission Aagaman lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR) in Sriharikota at 12.05 pm, after a brief hold just minutes before the scheduled 11.30 am launch.
Also Read: India Scripts New Space Milestone As Private Orbital Rocket Vikram-1 Lifts Off
The launch marked the first time a privately developed orbital-class rocket attempted to reach orbit from Indian soil, opening a new chapter for India’s private space sector.
Calling it only the beginning, Modi urged the team to continue building on the achievement.
“This mission is just the starting…we have to take it forward,” he said.
PM Invites Skyroot Aerospace’s Team
Describing the launch as an “important day for the space mission of India,” the prime minister also invited the Skyroot team to meet him.
“I invite you to meet me very soon,” he said.
Modi said the successful mission demonstrated India’s growing self-reliance in the space sector.
“You have shown to the world that we are capable of being aatmanirbhar in the world of space,” he told the team.
Also Read: ‘History Is Made’: Moment India’s First Private Orbital Rocket Vikram-1 Lifts Off | Watch
‘Vande Matram Message Reached New Heights’
The prime minister also referred to one of the symbolic payloads carried aboard Vikram-1, a card bearing his message “Vande Matram” along with greetings from supporters around the world.
“Through this mission Vande Matram message has reached new heights and is now in space,” he said.
#WATCH | Andhra Pradesh: India’s first privately developed orbital-class rocket, Vikram-1, launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota
Built by Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace, Vikram-1 is powered by three solid-fuel stages and a liquid orbital adjustment… pic.twitter.com/QQC9CPjcxH
— ANI (@ANI) July 18, 2026
Mission Aagaman is Skyroot Aerospace’s second mission after the successful suborbital flight of Vikram-S in 2022.
Vikram-1, a seven-storey-tall, multi-stage orbital launch vehicle built with an all-carbon composite structure and powered by in-house propulsion systems, is designed to carry small satellites weighing up to 350 kg into Low Earth Orbit.
The maiden mission is carrying technology demonstration payloads from Grahaa Space, Cosmoserve, DCubed and Skyroot’s own SCOPE platform, along with Cosmos Diamonds’ artwork “Cosmic Bloom”, a micro-art tribute to Indian scientific icons, and the signatures of the engineers and technicians who built the rocket.
