TOKYO - Indian launch startup Skyroot Aerospace is gearing up for its first orbital launch attempt as soon as July 12, with plans to quickly scale up to monthly launches. Because why start small when you can aim for the moon - or at least low Earth orbit?
Skyroot announced July 2 that its Vikram-1 rocket was on the pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India’s main launch site. The launch window opens July 12 and runs through Aug. 4, giving the company plenty of time to find the right moment to send a bunch of cubesats skyward.
The mission, called Aagaman, is primarily a test flight of the rocket - the first privately developed orbital launch vehicle in India. It's carrying several cubesats and hosted payloads from domestic and international customers, targeting an orbit at 450 kilometers altitude with a 60-degree inclination. You know, standard space stuff.
“The single most important objective of Mission Aagaman is to capture the real in-flight performance data from every system on Vikram-1,” said Pawan Kumar Chandana, co-founder and CEO of Skyroot, in a statement. “It will help us validate our designs and inform subsequent vehicle development as we build a reliable, high-cadence commercial launch program.” In other words, they want to see if the thing actually works before they start selling tickets.
Vikram-1 is a four-stage rocket using solid motors for the lower three stages and a liquid-propellant kick stage. It's designed to place up to 350 kilograms into low Earth orbit. Some of its tech was tested using a suborbital rocket, Vikram-S, launched in 2022 - because you have to crawl before you can fly, and fly before you can orbit.
“With Vikram-S in 2022, we validated the foundation of our technology stack,” said Naga Bharath Daka, co-founder and COO of Skyroot, in a statement. “With Vikram-1, we take our biggest step yet toward a reliable, high-cadence launch program built in India, for India and the world.” Or at least for paying customers.
The launch comes on the heels of raising $60 million in May at a valuation of $1.1 billion. That funding will help Skyroot scale up production of Vikram-1 and work on the larger Vikram-2 rocket. Because one rocket is never enough.
During a panel at the Spacetide conference July 7, Ashwin Mahavadi, senior VP for business and strategy at Skyroot, said the company is planning up to two more Vikram-1 launches this year. They're also preparing an upgraded version, Vikram-1U, with strap-on boosters, set for the first quarter of 2027, which will boost payload capacity to 550 kilograms. Because 350 kilos just wasn't cutting it.
The company wants to quickly scale up launches once Vikram-1 enters service. “Between Vikram-1 and Vikram-1U, we have the production capacity in-house to manufacture almost one rocket per month,” Mahavadi said. “That’s the cadence the company is looking to achieve in the coming months once the reliability is established.” So, maybe monthly launches by 2028? We'll see.
Skyroot, founded in 2018, has benefited from Indian government space policy reforms aimed at promoting the commercial space sector. That includes access to test stands and launch infrastructure from ISRO. “If we had to invest in the test stands and the launch pads, then our capital requirements would have been much larger,” Mahavadi said. “Skyroot has been able to attract capital and get access to ISRO facilities to really compress the timelines of product development.” Because why build your own launch pad when you can borrow the neighbor's?
A more recent development: new government incentives to encourage launching satellites on Indian vehicles. Mahavadi said the program will subsidize launch costs by 30%, up to $3,000 per kilogram. “That’s a huge boost for the up-and-coming satellite companies in India,” he said. “Skyroot is one of the primary beneficiaries.” Free money for space? Yes, please.
He added the company is open to expanding beyond India, potentially setting up a subsidiary in Japan to serve Japanese customers - maybe even launching from Japan. But for now, the focus is on getting Vikram-1 into service. “The launch vehicle has to be reliable,” he said. “Everything else only comes after reliability.” Words to live by, especially when you're strapping people's satellites to a giant firecracker.