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New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday, July 18, hailed the successful flight of Vikram-1, India’s first privately developed orbital rocket, and said the country is strongest when public institutions and private enterprises build upon each other’s capabilities in the service of science and society.

In a defining milestone, Skyroot Aerospace on Saturday launched the country’s first private orbital rocket and successfully placed multiple technology-demonstration payloads into the desired orbit, making India the third country with private orbital launch capabilities after the US and China.

In a post on X, Gandhi said, “The successful flight of Vikram-1, India’s first privately developed orbital rocket, is a tribute to years of patience, precision and quiet work by scientists, engineers and technicians.”

“My congratulations to the remarkable young team at Skyroot Aerospace, and to everyone at ISRO and IN-SPACe who supported this mission,” he said.

“India is strongest when public institutions and private enterprises build upon each other’s capabilities in the service of science and society, and when our youth are given the opportunity and trust to turn ambitious ideas into reality,” Gandhi added.

Launched at 12.05 pm, Vikram-1, a four-stage, seven-storey-tall orbital rocket named after Vikram Sarabhai, successfully placed multiple technology demonstration payloads and postcards, including one from Prime Minister Modi bearing the message ‘Vande Mataram’, into a low Earth orbit.

Launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, the project dubbed as ‘Mission Aagaman’ was a “grand success”, according to Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace.