'With Vikram-1, we take our biggest step yet towards a reliable, high-cadence launch programme built in India, for India and the world.'
Key Points
- Skyroot Aerospace has opened the launch window for Vikram-1, India's first privately developed orbital-class rocket.
- The maiden orbital mission is scheduled no earlier than July 12, subject to regulatory and operational clearances.
- Mission Aagaman follows the successful Vikram-S suborbital launch conducted in November 2022.
- Vikram-1 is designed to carry small satellites weighing up to 350 kilograms into low-Earth orbit.
- The mission will collect critical flight data to support Skyroot's commercial launch ambitions.
Skyroot Aerospace on Thursday announced the opening of the launch window for the maiden test flight of its Vikram-1 launch vehicle -- India's first privately developed orbitalclass rocket.
Test Flight-1 is targeted for no earlier than July 12, subject to the completion of assembly and testing operations at the launch site at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre Sriharikota High Altitude Range, as well as weather, safety, and range clearances.
The launch window extends until August 4.
"The single most important objective of Mission Aagaman is to capture real in-flight performance data from every system on Vikram-1. We want to understand how the vehicle performs from liftoff through every phase of ascent. This data cannot be fully replicated through ground testing," said Pawan Kumar Chandana, cofounder and CEO, Skyroot Aerospace.
"It will help us validate our designs and inform subsequent vehicle development as we build a reliable, highcadence commercial launch programme. The moment Vikram-1 lifts off, India's private space industry will cross a threshold it has never crossed before," he added.
Mission Aagaman Space Milestone
Mission Aagaman, meaning 'the arrival', marks Skyroot's second mission following the successful suborbital flight of Vikram-S, the first private rocket to reach space from Indian soil, on November 18, 2022.
This will be a partially commercial mission, with the company planning to begin fully commercial launches after one or two successful demonstration flights to orbit.
Joining the test flight is a mix of domestic and international customers.
"From a dream of building a launch vehicle in India to now attempting an orbital flight, it has been a journey like no other. With Vikram-S in 2022, we validated the foundation of our technology stack," said Naga Bharath Daka, cofounder and chief operating officer, Skyroot Aerospace.
"With Vikram-1, we take our biggest step yet towards a reliable, high-cadence launch programme built in India, for India and the world."
"This mission is designed as both a technology demonstration and a learning mission. It has been made possible by the collective confidence of the Government of India, Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), our investors, and a team of more than 1,000 people," he said.
All stages of Skyroot's Vikram-1 have been successfully integrated and stacked at the launchpad.
Skyroot Focuses On Flight Data
The mission will gather critical data on propulsion, stage separation, guidance, navigation, control, supporting Skyroot's evolution into a commercially operational launch firm.
Vikram-1 is a seven storey-tall, multi-stage orbital launch vehicle built with an allcarbon composite structure and powered by in-housedeveloped propulsion systems, including 3D-printed engines and high-thrust solid-fuel rocket boosters.
Designed to carry small satellites weighing up to 350 kilograms to lowEarth orbit, Vikram-1's maiden mission will target an orbit at an altitude of 450 kilometre with a 60-degree orbital inclination.
The flight-ready rocket was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2025 during the inauguration of Skyroot's Infinity campus.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
