Skyroot flags off Vikram-1, targets June launch for India’s first private orbital mission

Hyderabad-based space startup Skyroot Aerospace has flagged off its Vikram-1 rocket to Sriharikota, targeting a June launch window for what would be India’s first privately built orbital mission.

The rocket’s space-ready payload fairing, which protects satellites inside the rocket during flight, was flagged off by Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy at the company’s facility in Hyderabad.

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The upcoming flight will be the first of several Vikram-1 missions, as the company moves towards regular commercial launch operations for satellite operators worldwide.

Skyroot aims to scale up production to one rocket a month by next year and begin monthly launches thereafter.

The 23-metre-tall rocket, roughly the height of a seven-storey building, has taken more than four years to develop. It will undergo final tests over the next two months before lift-off. The company is working with ISRO for the launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

Co-founders Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka said the mission is focused on validating performance rather than maximising payload. While Vikram-1 has a payload capacity of 350 kg, the company will carry a smaller set of customer satellites to gather flight data. A detailed payload list will be announced closer to launch.

They said launch capability remains a key bottleneck in the global space economy, estimated at about $600 billion and projected to grow to $1.8 trillion by 2030. Private players with end-to-end launch capabilities remain limited, with Skyroot positioning itself among early entrants from India.

Vikram-1 has been designed as a low-cost launch vehicle, with more than 90% of the rocket manufactured in India. The company has used carbon fibre structures to reduce weight and improve efficiency, and said its production processes are optimised to remain cost competitive.

Skyroot had earlier demonstrated sub-orbital capability with its Vikram-S mission in 2022 and is now attempting an orbital launch. A successful mission would mark a first for a private Indian startup.

The company is targeting regular commercial launches by the end of this financial year and operates a launch-as-a-service model, charging customers to deploy satellites into orbit.

Valued at about $500 million after its 2023 fundraise, Skyroot is planning a fresh funding round that could make it India’s first unicorn in the space sector.

The startup has raised about $100 million from investors including GIC, Temasek, Greenko and Mukesh Bansal. It raised Rs 100 crore in debt from BlackRock in March.