Skyroot Aerospace prepares India's first private orbital rocket launch

Indian space startup Skyroot Aerospace announced that its Vikram‑1 launch vehicle is slated for a maiden flight between July 12 and August 4 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. Vikram‑1 is a seven‑story, multi‑stage rocket capable of delivering up to 350 kg of payload to low‑Earth orbit. The test flight will carry a mix of domestic and international customers and is intended primarily to gather performance data on propulsion, guidance and stage‑separation systems.

Skyroot, founded by former ISRO engineers, recently achieved a $1 billion valuation after raising $60 million from GIC and Sherpalo Ventures. The launch marks the first attempt by an Indian private company to place a satellite in orbit, reflecting the government's push to open the space sector to private firms and to build a $44 billion space economy by 2033. Major industrial groups such as Larsen & Toubro and Hindustan Aeronautics are also moving into rocket manufacturing as part of this broader initiative.