Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Skyroot Aerospace’s Infinity Campus in Hyderabad via video conferencing on Thursday, 27 November 2025, and unveiled the company’s inaugural orbital rocket, Vikram-I. Union Minister G Kishan Reddy attended the event on site.

The Prime Minister described this as a landmark moment for India’s private space sector, emphasising an unprecedented expansion driven by innovation and youth entrepreneurship.​

The Infinity Campus covers nearly 2,00,000 square feet, enabling end-to-end operations from design and development to integration and testing of launch vehicles. It boasts capacity to produce one orbital rocket monthly, underscoring Skyroot’s ambition to scale production rapidly.

Vikram-I, a four-stage rocket with three solid-fuel stages and an optional liquid-fuel upper stage, can deliver up to 500 kg to low Earth orbit or sun-synchronous polar orbit.​

Powered by engines like the Kalam-1200 for the first stage and featuring carbon fibre structures with 3D-printed liquid engines, Vikram-I represents advanced private-sector engineering. Skyroot’s co-founders, Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka—both IIT alumni and former ISRO scientists—earned praise from Modi as inspirations for risk-taking innovators. The rocket pays tribute to Vikram Sarabhai, father of India’s space programme, with a maiden flight targeted for early 2026.​​

Modi traced India’s space journey from humble beginnings—carrying rocket parts on bicycles—to ISRO’s globally trusted launch vehicles, crediting resolve over resources.

He highlighted reforms since 2020, including IN-SPACe as a facilitator for private entities, technology transfer via NewSpace India Limited, and opening the sector to non-government players in satellites, launches, and services. These changes have spurred over 300 space start-ups, fostering a “Private Space Revolution” in propulsion, composites, and satellite platforms.​

The Prime Minister noted space’s strategic role in communication, agriculture, security, and more, positioning India’s cost-effective capabilities amid rising global demand for small satellite launches.

He linked this boom to India’s third-largest start-up ecosystem, spanning fintech to defence, now extending from metros to smaller towns. Further reforms loom, with private participation envisioned in nuclear energy for small modular reactors, enhancing energy security.​

Modi spotlighted innovation drivers like the National Research Foundation, ₹1 lakh crore Research Fund, and expanded Atal Tinkering Labs, aiming for five new space unicorns and multiplied launch capacity in five years.

Government backing for start-ups remains steadfast, with IN-SPACe mentoring private growth alongside ISRO’s legacy. Skyroot’s milestone signals India’s resolve to lead the 21st century space economy.​

Agencies