India's First Private Rocket Reaches 280-Mile Orbit on Successful Debut Saturday

According to Ars Technica, Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 rocket, India's first fully commercial satellite launcher, successfully reached orbit on Saturday following its debut flight from Sriharikota Island in the Bay of Bengal. The rocket achieved an orbit approximately 280 miles (450 kilometers) high at a 60-degree inclination to the equator, closely matching preflight predictions.

Vikram-1 stands 72 feet (22 meters) tall with the capability to deliver payloads of up to 350 kilograms to low-Earth orbit, making it comparable in scale to Rocket Lab's Electron launch vehicle. The flight utilized three solid-fueled rocket motors in succession followed by a liquid-fueled fourth stage to accelerate to orbital velocity of approximately 17,000 mph.