In a defining moment for India’s private space industry, “Vikram-1”, the first privately developed orbital rocket, was flagged off on Saturday by Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy from the Max-Q campus of Hyderabad-based space-tech start-up Skyroot Aerospace. The rocket is now en route to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
The flag-off during which the Chief Minister ceremonially cleared the rocket's space-ready payload fairing, the protective structure that shields satellites during flight marks the completion of Skyroot's pre-flight testing programme at its Hyderabad facilities.
The rocket's propulsion stages have already been secured at the spaceport, with launch expected in the coming months following final integration operations.
Skyroot co-founder and CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana described the upcoming launch as a landmark moment for India's private space sector. Vikram-1 is a multi-stage orbital launch vehicle designed to deploy small satellites of up to 350 kg into Low Earth orbit.
Standing seven storeys tall, it features an all-carbon composite structure powered by in-house propulsion systems, including 3D-printed engines and high-thrust solid-fuel rocket boosters.
Co-founder and COO Naga Bharath Daka said the company had completed the most critical phase of testing and was ready to begin integration and launch campaign activities at the spaceport. "Today, we have taken a step towards removing this barrier and moving closer to orbit," he said.
The upcoming flight is the first of several planned Vikram-1 missions, through which Skyroot aims to progressively advance toward regular commercial launch operations for satellite operators worldwide entering a global market for on-demand satellite launches currently dominated by only a handful of companies. The launch will be conducted under the authorisation of IN-SPACe and with the technical oversight of ISRO.
The Chief Minister said the occasion marked a key milestone in Telangana’s pursuit of becoming a global leader in the Aerospace sector.
He also said it was a matter of great pride that the rocket has been completely designed and developed in Hyderabad.
Telangana was ranked first in India in the aerospace sector. Global leaders like Boeing, Airbus and Safran were already present in Telangana, the Chief Minister stressed.
“Telangana’s aim is to become a global leader in aerospace by 2047, with aerospace as a key growth sector,” Revanth Reddy said.
“With proactive policies, strong infrastructure, adequate talent, and a vibrant ecosystem, our government is committed to supporting companies like Skyroot,” he said.
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