The successful launch of Vikram-1 is far more than another addition to India’s impressive list of space achievements; it marks the arrival of a new era in which private enterprise stands shoulder to shoulder with the country’s celebrated public institutions in pushing the frontiers of science and technology.

Aptly christened Aagaman—meaning “arrival”—the mission carried a simple but powerful message from its creators: “We have arrived.” Few declarations could have been more appropriate. India’s space journey began modestly in the 1960s from the fishing village of Thumba in Kerala, where rockets and equipment were famously transported on bicycles and bullock carts.

From those humble beginnings, the nation has progressed to launching missions to the Moon and Mars,........

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