Indian start-up Skyroot successfully launches its first private rocket

The privately created solid rocket stage from India, developed by Skyroot was successfully tested in fire in December 2020.

Following years of preparation and considerable expectation, India's space agency, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the Vikram-S, country's first private rocket, giving India's private space industry a thrust.

The Vikram-S is a single-stage, spin-stabilized solid propellant rocket with a mass of about 550 kg that was created by a startup called Skyroot Aerospace that was setup four years ago. On Friday at 11:30 AM, ISRO successfully launched a suborbital rocket from Sriharikota, India's east coast.

Three client payloads, including one from a customer outside of India , are carried by it. The rocket is 6-meters-long that took nearly two years to be built and has a core structure made entirely of carbon fibre.

Skyroot, situated in Hyderabad, launched its maiden demonstration mission with the name 'Prarambh' derived from Sanskrit, which means 'the beginning'. In honor of Vikram Sarabhai, the man who started India's space programme, the business is creating a line of launch vehicles.

Lt. Gen. AK Bhatt, Director General, Indian Space Association said: "The maiden launch by a new Startup has significantly enhanced the credibility for Indian private space players around the globe. The capability that the sector has been claiming has been demonstrated in Space. Since its inception in 2018, Skyroot has come a long way in delivering its expertise in manufacturing of small lift launch vehicles by launching India’s first private rocket which was manufactured in just two years. The Vikram-S rocket's success will further validate most of the technologies in the ‘Vikram’ series of space launch vehicles planned by Skyroot for the coming years. India’s space economy is set to grow to US$13b and the space launch segment is estimated to grow the fastest by 2025 at a CAGR of 13% which will be further spurred by growing private participation, latest technology adoption and low cost of launch services and this launch is a major landmark for this growth to take place in the coming years.”

The privately created solid rocket stage from India, developed by Skyroot was successfully tested in fire in December 2020. Skyroot was founded in 2018 by former ISRO scientists Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka. Additionally, it happened to be the first startup in the nation to agree to a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with ISRO in 2021 in order to launch its rockets.

Skyroot has a valuation of 165 million dollars and has received a total of 68 million dollars, including 51 million dollars in a Series B round headed by Singapore-based GIC in September.

The Indian government had approved reforms to the space industry in June 2020 and created the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) to make it possible for commercial businesses to utilise ISRO's infrastructure. Additionally New Delhi separately established NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) to work as the commercial division of the space agency to collaborate closely with startups and the private sector to support space activities in the South Asian nation.

To boost private engagement and stimulate investment in the nation's space sector, the government is now developing a new space policy.