India has launched an orbital rocket built by a private company for the first time

India has successfully launched a Vikram-1 orbital-class rocket developed by a private company for the first time, developer Skyroot Aerospace said.

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“The Vikram-1 launch vehicle has reached orbit as part of a test flight. India’s first privately developed orbital rocket has completed the final engine power-up and launched the payload into an orbit about 450 kilometers high,” the company said in a statement on the social network.

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The company added that India has now become the third country in the world with the possibility of private orbital launches.