Can India Solve Its Launch Vehicle Crisis Before Its Space Ambitions Outrun Its Rockets?

On July 18, 2026, Skyroot Aerospace’s Vikram-1 lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota. The privately developed Indian rocket carried multiple payloads, and ISRO reported that the SCOPE and Grahaa satellites were injected into low Earth orbit. The flight made Skyroot the Indian private company that achieved orbital launch from Indian soil on its maiden orbital attempt.