Indian space startup Skyroot Aerospace announced Thursday that it is preparing to launch its Vikram-1 rocket — a historic first attempt by a privately owned Indian company to successfully place a satellite into Earth’s orbit.
The company was founded by former engineers from the Indian Space Research Organisation and is working to develop small rockets in a similar vein to those produced by companies like Rocket Lab and Firefly Aerospace.
Standing about seven stories tall, the Vikram-1 is a multi-stage launch vehicle built to carry payloads weighing up to 350 kilograms into low Earth orbit.
Skyroot recently reached a $1 billion valuation — becoming India’s first space startup to hit that milestone — after securing $60 million in funding from GIC and Sherpalo Ventures in May. The company has scheduled its first flight attempt during a window between July 12 and August 4, launching from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India’s primary spaceport.
The maiden flight will carry a combination of domestic and international customers. However, the primary goal of the mission is to gather performance data during flight, specifically looking at propulsion systems, guidance systems, and stage separation, the company explained.
The launch represents a broader shift happening in India’s space sector, which has historically been dominated by government agencies. The country is now welcoming private companies into the industry as it pursues a larger slice of the worldwide market for satellite launches and related services.
Major industrial players including Larsen & Toubro and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited are also entering rocket manufacturing, as the Indian government pushes toward building a $44 billion space economy by the year 2033.
