Skyroot Aerospace

A Hyderabad rocket company founded in 2018. Its Vikram-I made the first orbital launch by a private Indian company from Indian soil, on 18 July 2026.

Purpose

Skyroot builds small rockets for launching satellites. It was founded in 2018 by Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka, and is based in Hyderabad. Its rockets are named Vikram, and its engines include Raman-1 and the cryogenic Dhawan-1.

Timeline

• 18 November 2022: Vikram-S, a sub-orbital test rocket, flies from Sriharikota on the Prarambh mission
• 18 July 2026: Vikram-I reaches orbit on its first attempt, placing the SCOPE and Grahaa satellites in low Earth orbit

How it was done

Vikram-I has four stages: three solid and one liquid. ISRO let Skyroot cast and test the first-stage motor at Sriharikota, and the RAMAN-I upper-stage engine was tested at LPSC. IN-SPACe arranged access to ISRO facilities and gave the launch clearances.

Status

In September 2026 Skyroot shipped the first stage of its second Vikram-1 to Sriharikota.

Sources

1. About Skyroot — Skyroot Aerospace
2. First private orbital launch lifts off from Sriharikota — ISRO
3. Launch missions facilitated by ISRO — ISRO
4. Skyroot home page — Skyroot Aerospace