# Skyroot’s Vikram-1 reaches orbit as ISRO plans seven launches 2026-08-06T11:05:58+00:00 | Technology | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 3 independent outlets Skyroot Aerospace's privately built Vikram-1 rocket reached low Earth orbit on its first attempt from Sriharikota on July 18, carrying two satellites into orbit along with four other payloads meant for in-orbit experiments. The Hindu called it only the third time worldwide that a country has reached orbit through a privately developed launch vehicle. Republic World reported that the roughly seven-storey, all-carbon composite rocket, flown under the name Mission Aagaman, carried a handwritten Vande Mataram postcard from Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a symbolic payload. Hindu Business Line quoted ISRO chairman V Narayanan saying the agency is targeting at least seven launches this financial year, including the first uncrewed Gaganyaan mission, with two satellites already built and five to six more in final integration, and that a second launch complex at Kulasekarapattinam should be commissioned within six months. Citing market research firm Tracxn, The Hindu reported that India's SpaceTech funding stays concentrated in Bengaluru, which has drawn 495 million dollars, ahead of Hyderabad's 205 million and Chennai's 80 million. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Reaching orbit at the first attempt made India, by The Hindu's count, only the third country to do so through a privately developed launch vehicle. Narayanan's seven-launch target for the financial year is a plan, and the two-month timeline he gave for the next mission is the nearest test of it. Gaganyaan preparations are moving in parallel, with the fifth parachute qualification test and three crew module qualification tests both completed in July ahead of the uncrewed G1 flight. Whether ISRO commissions the second launch complex at Kulasekarapattinam inside the six months Narayanan named will show if the wider schedule is holding. ## Coverage - thehindubusinessline.com (neutral report) - republicworld.com (neutral report) - thehindu.com (neutral report) Tags: Gaganyaan, ISRO, Skyroot Aerospace Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/isro-plans-seven-launches-as-skyroots-vikram-1-reaches-orbit/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/isro-plans-seven-launches-as-skyroots-vikram-1-reaches-orbit/#story-in-brief