18th JULY 2026 ENGLISH TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS PDF TNPSC SHOUTERS
India's First Private Orbital Rocket, 'Vikram-1', Successfully Launched
- Marking a new milestone in India's space history, 'Vikram-1' the first orbital-class rocket fully designed by a domestic private company was successfully launched today (July 18). This historic mission was successfully executed from the first launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
- Although the launch was originally scheduled for 11:30 AM, it took place at 12:05 PM a delay of 35 minutes due to cloudy weather conditions. The mission for this rocket, manufactured by the private firm Skyroot Aerospace, has been named 'Mission Aarambh'.
- This marks the first time an Indian private company has attempted to place a satellite into orbit using a launch vehicle developed entirely in house. The rocket is designed to deploy small and medium-sized satellites, weighing up to 350 kg, into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at an altitude of 450 km.
