Overview
- After a planned hold, Vikram‑1 lifted off from ISRO’s First Launch Pad at Sriharikota on Saturday and cleared the tower with liftoff around 12:05–12:06 p.m. IST.
- Skyroot reported that the rocket’s lower solid stages performed nominally and the liquid Orbital Adjustment Module was executing the final restart and orbital insertion to deploy customer and symbolic payloads.
- The flight carried six technical demonstration payloads plus symbolic items including Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s handwritten 'Vande Mataram' postcard and a lab‑grown diamond art piece.
- Vikram‑1 is a four‑stage, all‑carbon‑composite vehicle using three in‑house solid stages and a liquid upper stage with a 100% 3D‑printed engine, and the mission is explicitly a technology demonstration to collect in‑flight data.
- The launch, authorised by IN‑SPACe and using ISRO infrastructure, positions Skyroot to move toward regular small‑satellite commercial services if post‑flight data supports design refinements and reliability improvements.