Until very recently, sending rockets into orbit had been within the domain of state space agencies such as ISRO in India. However, things have just taken a new turn. An Indian private aerospace startup firm, called Skyroot, founded by ex-ISRO scientists, has declared that its first commercial orbital-class rocket, Vikram-1, will start its launch window from July 12. The name of the mission is Aagaman, which is Sanskrit for "arrival."
According to Skyroot, the launch of Vikram-1 will occur after July 12.
The launch window will open up until August 4. Vikram-1 will be launched from SDSC-SHAR, and the exact date of launch will depend on the completion and successful testing of all processes involved in the preparation, including weather conditions.
According to Skyroot, all stages of Vikram-1 have already been assembled and stacked at the launch pad.
The launch of Vikram-1 will occur from SDSC-SHAR. Engineers will monitor its performance in the air with regards to propulsion, staging, guidance, navigation, and control of the vehicle.
As you remember, unlike the previous Vikram-S mission, where the vehicle performed only a suborbital flight, Vikram-1 will perform an orbital one. This mission is dedicated to obtaining information about the performance of the vehicle in the air to check out all systems of the vehicle. As you remember, Vikram-S was successfully launched in 2022. This rocket became the first private rocket launched to space from India.
This will be the first time an orbital-class rocket developed by a private company in India will attempt to go into orbit, marking an important milestone for India’s commercial space industry.
The management at Skyroot has been willing to speak openly about this being a historic moment. “Once Vikram-1 blasts off, India’s private space sector will make its leap into the unknown like no other,” said Pawan Kumar Chandana, co-founder and CEO of Skyroot Aerospace.
The company has said the objective of this launch is mostly a tech demo and learning experience whose data will allow it to confirm the performance of the vehicle and plan on how to upgrade its launch capabilities for commercial launches.
Essentially, this means that Skyroot is launching not only to go to orbit but learn enough from the experience to begin regular launches after that. As Chandana put it, “It is also about understanding the performance of the vehicle in-flight,” which cannot be completely replicated on the ground.
Skyroot Aerospace refers to an Indian aerospace and defence company founded in 2018 by engineers from ISRO and incubated in T-Hub, Hyderabad. The Indian space sector was under control of government organizations in those times.
In order to create brand Skyroot Aerospace applied the "propulsion first" concept, that includes creation of solid rocket motor and modular launch vehicle platform which can be upgraded to full orbit system in the future.
The key success factor for Skyroot Aerospace is sub-orbital Vikram-S in November 2022 when for the first time the private company launched the first privately-made rocket to get into space in India. At the moment Skyroot Aerospace works on Vikram-1 small satellite launcher which is created to launch small satellites with total mass 350 kg into low Earth orbit using all-carbon composite structure and proprietary solid and liquid propulsion systems with 3D printed engines.
High cadence and fast manufacturing are key principles for Skyroot Aerospace.
Carbon composite rockets and propulsion systems include solid (Kalam series), liquid (Raman series) and cryogenic (Dhawan series).
All technologies have been developed internally by Skyroot Aerospace in its 250,000 sq. ft facilities in Hyderabad.
Two months prior to the opening of this launch window, Skyroot became the country’s first space-tech unicorn. In May 2026, the company received close to $60 million at an $1.1 billion valuation, led by a funding round from Sherpalo Ventures and GIC. Ram Shriram, founder of Sherpalo Ventures and board member of Alphabet Inc., will now be serving on Skyroot’s board, while funds from BlackRock and Playbook Partners, as well as Shanghvi Family Office, have become investors of the company.
The fundraising has taken Skyroot’s total funding close to $160 million, up significantly from a $519 million valuation as of 2023.
It is planned to be used by Skyroot to accelerate its Vikram-1 launch schedule, scale up manufacturing capabilities, and accelerate the development of its more powerful Vikram-2 launch vehicle. Chandana says the company has plans to conduct four to six launches in this financial year, but this number may be revised according to the outcome of the initial flight, with close to one-third of their orders expected to be domestic, with the remainder coming from international markets including Southeast Asia, Japan, the United States, and Europe.
The intended audience for the maiden flight is the worldwide satellite companies looking for their own specific access to space and the rocket will have a payload of both local and foreign customers in a partially commercial mission.
This implies that the maiden flight of the Vikram-1 will not only be for testing but will also be doing real work for the customers.
It's important to note that the company does not race alone. Apart from competing on the national level with firms such as Agnikul Cosmos, it also has to compete internationally with companies such as SpaceX, Rocket Lab, and Relativity Space.
According to Skyroot, the company can deliver payloads to low Earth orbit for about 40% less per kilogram than their international competitors, which is crucial since small satellite launches will constitute over 75% of global launches in the future.
Overall, the private space industry of India has been expanding rapidly too.
There are many firms apart from Skyroot, including Agnikul Cosmos, Pixxel, Bellatrix Aerospace, and Dhruva Space, all racing to develop commercially successful space-related technologies, from orbital launches of rockets to Earth observation satellites and in-orbit propulsion systems, within the Indian space economy valued at $8-9 billion now and anticipated to reach $40-50 billion by 2030.
Overall funding in the industry has increased massively, according to the Indian Space Association, where funding grew 84% in 2025 compared to 2024, and $113.5 million was raised in just the first five months of 2026.
This level of launch is not without perils. There have been experts who have observed that any failure or delay in launching the rocket may adversely affect the investors’ confidence in a business where reliability is of utmost importance because apart from venture capital funding, the company has also acquired some debts from BlackRock, which is an additional financial burden for it.
The company would have to demonstrate its claim of cost efficiency compared to its competitors who use reusable rockets.
It also needs to cope with the escalating costs of launching insurance and the ever-increasing danger of space debris in the industry.
Initial orbital attempts by various new rocket organizations have been quite inconsistent.
