Note: The term “Vikram Skyroot” refers to the Vikram Series of rockets developed by Skyroot Aerospace, particularly Vikram-S and Vikram-I. The information presented below has been verified using official sources from ISRO, the Government of India/PIB, IN-SPACe, and Skyroot Aerospace, along with reliable reports.
For decades, India’s space programme was led primarily by government institutions, particularly the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). However, after the space sector was opened to private companies in 2020, a new private Space-Tech ecosystem began emerging in India.
One of the prominent companies to emerge from this transformation is Skyroot Aerospace. Based in Hyderabad, this Indian Space-Tech company has been developing private launch vehicles through its Vikram Series to carry small satellites into space.
One of the most important early milestones in Skyroot’s journey was Vikram-S, which flew on 18 November 2022 as India’s first privately developed and manufactured rocket. This was followed by Vikram-I, which achieved India’s first successful private orbital launch on 18 July 2026.
What is Skyroot Aerospace?
Skyroot Aerospace is an Indian private space company founded in June 2018 by Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka. Both founders have backgrounds connected with India’s space programme.
The company’s primary objective is to develop launch vehicles capable of delivering small satellites into Earth orbit in a flexible and demand-driven manner.
Skyroot’s family of launch vehicles is known as the Vikram Series. The series is named in honour of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, one of the pioneers of India’s space programme.
Vikram-S: The Beginning of India’s Private Rocket Era
Vikram-S was Skyroot’s first rocket. It was not an orbital rocket but a suborbital launch vehicle.
This means that it was not designed to place satellites into a permanent orbit around Earth. Its primary purpose was to demonstrate and test rocket technologies and systems during an actual flight.
Mission Prarambh
The first flight of Vikram-S was named Mission Prarambh.
On 18 November 2022, at approximately 11:30 AM IST, it was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The mission was authorised by IN-SPACe, with technical support from ISRO.
According to ISRO, Vikram-S reached an altitude of approximately 89.5 kilometres and successfully completed its mission.
According to Skyroot’s mission data, the rocket reached a maximum altitude of approximately 88.8 km, achieved a maximum speed of Mach 5.07, and had a total flight duration of approximately 301.4 seconds.
Key Features of Vikram-S
Vikram-S was a single-stage, solid-fuelled suborbital rocket.
According to information released by the Government of India, its major technological features included:
🔹Solid-fuel propulsion
🔹Carbon-composite structure
🔹3D-printed components
🔹Advanced avionics
🔹Telemetry and tracking systems
🔹On-board camera and data-acquisition systems
According to the Government of India, the rocket had a mass of approximately 545 kilograms and a length of around 6 metres.
What Did Vikram-S Carry?
Mission Prarambh was not merely a rocket technology demonstration. It also carried three customer payloads:
1. SpaceKidz India
2. N-Space Tech India
3. Bazoomq Armenia
Thus, the mission demonstrated not only rocket technology but also the ability to integrate commercial payloads for a private launch mission.
Why Was Vikram-S Important?
The significance of Vikram-S was not simply that a new rocket reached space.
Its biggest achievement was that, for the first time in India, a launch vehicle developed and manufactured by a private company was successfully launched towards space.
ISRO recorded it as the first successful launch of a launch vehicle by an Indian private company.
The mission demonstrated that Indian private companies could work on highly complex technologies such as:
🔹Rocket propulsion
🔹Avionics
🔹Composite structures
🔹Flight software
🔹Telemetry
🔹Launch operations
Vikram-I: The Next Major Step
The primary objective of Vikram-S was to demonstrate technologies through an actual flight. After that, Skyroot developed its orbital launch vehicle, Vikram-I.
Vikram-I is designed to deliver small satellites into Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
According to Skyroot’s current official information, Vikram-I is designed to carry approximately 350 kilograms of payload to LEO, with carbon-composite technology incorporated into its structure.
18 July 2026: Vikram-I Made History
The biggest milestone in Skyroot’s journey came on 18 July 2026.
According to ISRO, Vikram-I lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, and successfully completed its orbital mission.
It became the first successful private orbital launch from Indian soil by an Indian private company.
According to ISRO, Vikram-I carried multiple payloads during the mission, including the SCOPE and Grahaa satellites, which were deployed into Low Earth Orbit.
This achievement made Skyroot the first Indian private company to successfully send its own rocket into orbit from Indian soil.
Importance of Carbon-Composite Technology in Vikram Rockets
One of the important technological features of Skyroot’s Vikram Series is the use of carbon-composite structures.
Compared with conventional metallic structures, advanced composite materials can provide lightweight structures with a high strength-to-weight ratio, making them valuable for aerospace applications.
During the Vikram-S mission, its carbon-composite airframe withstood the aerodynamic and structural loads experienced during flight. According to Skyroot, Vikram-S maintained structural integrity even while travelling at speeds exceeding Mach 5.
Use of 3D Printing
Skyroot has also adopted modern manufacturing technologies such as 3D-printed components and engines in rocket development.
3D printing can be useful in rocket manufacturing because it can enable complex geometries to be produced with fewer manufacturing steps and can potentially shorten development cycles.
The use of 3D printing has been one of Skyroot’s important technological approaches in the development of the Vikram Series.
Vikram-II: The Next Leap Forward
Skyroot’s plans are not limited to Vikram-I.
According to the company’s current official portfolio, Vikram-II is being developed as a more powerful next-generation launch vehicle. The company has highlighted the use of a cryogenic engine and increased payload capability for this vehicle.
According to Skyroot, Vikram-II is intended to provide approximately:
🔹900 kg to Low Earth Orbit
🔹600 kg to Sun-synchronous Orbit
The company has targeted 2027 for the vehicle, although future launch schedules may change.
Importance for India
The significance of Skyroot and the Vikram Series extends beyond the success of a single private company.
1. Boost to the Private Space Industry
The success of private launch vehicles provides an important proof of concept that Indian private companies can develop and operate launch vehicles.
2. Satellite Launch Market
The number of small satellites around the world is increasing. As a result, demand for dedicated and flexible small-launch vehicles is also growing.
Skyroot is targeting this market through its launch vehicle programme.
3. Employment and Technical Expertise
The expansion of private space companies can create opportunities for specialised skills and employment in areas such as:
🔹Propulsion
🔹Electronics
🔹Software
🔹Materials science
🔹Manufacturing
🔹Aerospace engineering
4. Potential Reduction in Commercial Pressure on ISRO
If private launch providers successfully conduct commercial launches, dependence on government launch infrastructure for certain small-satellite missions could potentially be reduced.
5. India’s Space Economy
The entry of private companies is creating new opportunities across India’s space economy, including manufacturing, launch services, satellite applications and downstream space technologies.
Role of IN-SPACe
The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) plays an important role in expanding private space activities in India.
The launch of Vikram-S was authorised by IN-SPACe. The Government of India established IN-SPACe as a single-window mechanism to promote, facilitate and authorise space activities by private and non-government entities.
Therefore, the success of Vikram-S should not be viewed solely as an achievement of Skyroot. It is also an example of the emerging Indian space ecosystem built through cooperation among the Government, ISRO, IN-SPACe and private industry.
Was Vikram-S India’s First Private Orbital Rocket?
No.
This distinction is very important.
Vikram-S was India’s first privately developed and manufactured suborbital launch vehicle.
It did not place a satellite into orbit.
Later, Vikram-I successfully completed an orbital mission on 18 July 2026, taking this achievement to the next level. ISRO recorded Vikram-I’s mission as India’s first successful private orbital launch.
The Broader Goal of the Vikram Series
Skyroot’s objective is not simply to manufacture rockets. The company aims to provide small-satellite operators with on-demand, dedicated and flexible access to space.
According to the company, the Vikram Series is being designed to accommodate different satellite deployment requirements.
Therefore, Skyroot’s business model goes beyond simply manufacturing rockets and focuses on providing commercial launch services.
The journey of Skyroot Aerospace, beginning with Vikram-S, represents an important chapter in the development of India’s private space industry.
On 18 November 2022, Vikram-S launched Mission Prarambh and marked the beginning of India’s private rocket era. It was a suborbital mission primarily intended to demonstrate rocket technologies through an actual flight.
Nearly four years later, on 18 July 2026, Vikram-I successfully completed an orbital mission and opened a new chapter in the history of India’s private space industry.
The entire journey can be summed up in one sentence:
Vikram-S marked the beginning of India’s private rocket sector, while Vikram-I took it to successful orbital launch capability.
This is the larger significance of Skyroot Aerospace: access to space in India is no longer limited to government institutions. Indian private companies are now playing a real and growing role in developing and operating launch vehicles and contributing to the country’s space economy.
Sources: The primary sources for this article are official information from ISRO, the Government of India/PIB, IN-SPACe and Skyroot Aerospace, supplemented where appropriate by reliable reports.
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