Spacetech startup Skyroot Aerospace is targeting a June launch for its Vikram-1 orbital rocket, the company said on Saturday, after Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy formally flagged off the vehicle from its Max-Q campus in Hyderabad.
The ceremony marked the rocket’s departure to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, where final integration and launch campaign activities will be carried out. As part of the event, the chief minister ceremonially flagged off the space-ready payload fairing that protects satellites during ascent.
Skyroot said the flag-off of flight hardware completes its pre-flight testing programme, with propulsion stages already positioned at the spaceport. The company plans to begin integration operations next week, with the launch expected in the coming months.
Chief executive officer and co-founder Pawan Kumar Chandana said the Vikram-1 mission would be a major step for India’s private space industry, enabling on-demand launches for a growing small-satellite market. Co-founder and chief operating officer Naga Bharath Daka said the company had completed its most critical tests and was preparing for the launch campaign.
The three-stage Vikram-1 is designed to place payloads of up to 350 kg into low Earth orbit. The vehicle uses an all-carbon composite structure and in-house propulsion systems, including 3D-printed engines and high-thrust solid boosters, aimed at rapid manufacturing and a higher launch cadence.
If successful, the mission would mark India’s first private attempt at an orbital launch, in a market dominated by a small number of global players. The flight will be conducted under authorisation from IN-SPACe with technical oversight from Isro.
Founded in 2018, Skyroot previously launched Vikram-S in 2022, becoming the first Indian private company to send a rocket to space. The startup has raised close to USD 100 million from global investors and plans multiple Vikram-1 missions as it moves toward regular commercial operations. |
