Skyroot Aerospace

Space · Aerospace · Satellite Launch

Milestone

Skyroot's Vikram-1 reaches orbit, marking India's first private launch

The mission caps a rapid rise for the Hyderabad startup, which just became India's first space-tech unicorn at a $1.1 billion valuation.

• Vikram-1 lifted off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on July 18, 2026, reaching a 450km low Earth orbit about 15 minutes after launch.
• Skyroot Aerospace, founded by Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka, wants to make satellite launches as easy as booking a cab, offering dedicated rides instead of shared slots on big rockets.
• Vikram-1 is a four-stage vehicle with three solid-fuel stages and a liquid-propellant RAMAN-1 kick stage, carrying up to 350kg to LEO; an upgraded Vikram-1U variant with strap-on boosters will lift 550kg.
• The seven-storey, 45,000kg rocket carried six payloads on its debut, including satellites from Skyroot and Grahaa Space plus tech demonstrators, all placed into the targeted 450km orbit.
• The launch fell exactly 46 years after ISRO's own first orbital success with SLV-3 in 1980, and follows 2020 reforms that opened India's space sector to private industry.
• The success makes India only the third country, after the US and China, with a private company able to reach orbit, positioning Skyroot to compete in the global small-satellite launch market.