India's first private orbital rocket set for test launch

India's first privately developed orbital rocket is in its final preparations for a historic test flight, with a launch window opening on July 12. The Vikram-1 rocket, built by Hyderabad-based startup Skyroot Aerospace, is scheduled to lift off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, with the launch period extending through August 4.

The mission, named "Aagaman" meaning "the arrival," aims to place small satellites into low Earth orbit. If successful, it will mark the first time an Indian private company has achieved orbital flight, a significant leap from Skyroot's suborbital Vikram-S launch in November 2022. The company announced the upcoming launch window on July 2.

Vikram-1 is a multi-stage launch vehicle standing as tall as a seven-story building. It is designed to carry payloads of up to 350 kilograms to an orbit approximately 450 kilometers above Earth. The rocket's structure is built primarily from carbon composites and features in-house developed propulsion systems, including 3D-printed engines. All stages of the vehicle have been successfully integrated and stacked at the launch pad.

The primary objective of the test flight is to gather...