Skyroot Aerospace’s Vikram-1 rocket is set for its historic maiden orbital launch today at 11:30 am IST from Sriharikota, carrying six payloads including scientific instruments, satellites, and symbolic tributes such as a diamond lotus and microscopic gold sculptures of India’s pioneering scientists, according to an article published in The BBC.

This mission, named Aagaman (Arrival), marks India’s entry into the private orbital launch market, making it only the third nation after the US and China to have a private company capable of orbital launches.


Skyroot Aerospace, India’s first space-tech unicorn valued at $1.1 billion, is attempting its first orbital mission with Vikram-1, a seven-storey, multi-stage rocket built with an all-carbon composite structure. 

The rocket is powered by three solid-fuel stages and a liquid orbital adjustment module, designed to carry payloads of up to 350 kg into Low Earth Orbit at an altitude of 450 km with a 60-degree inclination.

The company has integrated advanced technologies such as 3D-printed engines, modular stage separation, and lightweight carbon fibre manufacturing, making Vikram-1 one of the most innovative rockets developed in India.

The mission payloads include Grahaa Space’s Solaras S3 Earth observation CubeSat, Cosmoserve’s Embrace robotic arm for debris removal, Skyroot’s in-house SCOPE platform, and German firm DCubed’s technology demonstrators.

Alongside these scientific payloads, Vikram-1 will carry Cosmos Diamonds’ Cosmic Bloom, a lotus made of lab-grown diamonds, and an 18-carat gold micro-art rocket containing microscopic sculptures of Sir C.V. Raman, Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, and Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, each smaller than a grain of rice. 

These tributes symbolise India’s scientific legacy and creativity, linking the mission to the line “like a diamond in the sky” from the nursery rhyme Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.

The mission is named Aagaman, meaning arrival, and represents Skyroot’s second flight after the successful suborbital launch of Vikram-S in November 2022. Co-founders Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka emphasised that the launch is focused on validating performance rather than maximising payload, with the goal of offering rapid, on-demand launch services for small satellites. 

Their vision is to make satellite launches as easy as booking a cab, providing tailored missions instead of waiting for shared slots on larger rockets. This model mirrors the approach of Rocket Lab in the US and is expected to reduce long waiting times for satellite operators.

The Indian government opened the space sector to private firms in 2020, aiming to increase India’s share of the global space economy from 2% to 10% by 2030. Since then, over 400 space start-ups have emerged, but Skyroot remains the most successful, already achieving unicorn status.

The company plans to build one rocket per month at its Hyderabad facility, with commercial launches expected to begin next year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described Vikram-1 as a “historic new frontier” for India’s space sector, while former ISRO Chairman S Somanath noted that the mission reflects the transformation of India’s space ecosystem through policy reforms and entrepreneurial innovation.

If successful, Vikram-1 will place India firmly on the global map of private orbital launch providers, catering to both domestic and international markets. Skyroot expects 70–80% of its business to come from the global economy, supporting satellites for agriculture, fisheries, disaster management, communications, navigation, and national security.

The mission represents the culmination of nearly 3,000 days of work by over 1,000 engineers and 400 suppliers, underscoring the scale of India’s private space ambitions.

Agencies