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About Featured Expert: Skyroot Aerospace

Skyroot Aerospace is an Indian private space launch company developing small lift launch vehicles and propulsion technologies to provide commercial access to orbit. The company was founded in 2018 by Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka, both former scientists with the Indian Space Research Organisation, and is headquartered in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Skyroot operates within India’s evolving commercial space ecosystem and focuses on responsive, cost-effective launch services for small satellite missions.

The company’s launch vehicle development centers on the Vikram series, named after Indian space pioneer Vikram Sarabhai. Skyroot’s first flight vehicle, Vikram-S, is a single-stage suborbital rocket that completed a successful flight in November 2022. The mission validated key technologies including solid propulsion systems, composite structures, avionics, and guidance and control subsystems, marking the first launch of a privately developed rocket from Indian soil.

Building on that milestone, Skyroot is developing Vikram-I, its first orbital-class launch vehicle. Vikram-I is a multi-stage rocket designed to deliver small satellite payloads to low Earth orbit and incorporates a combination of solid propulsion stages and precision guidance systems. The vehicle is intended to support dedicated and rideshare missions with flexible launch timelines and competitive pricing for commercial and institutional customers.

Skyroot has also outlined future vehicles within the Vikram family, including higher-capacity configurations intended to expand payload mass and orbital insertion capabilities. These planned systems reflect a modular development strategy that allows propulsion stages and subsystems to be adapted across different mission profiles.

In parallel with vehicle development, Skyroot has invested in domestic manufacturing and integration infrastructure. The company operates a dedicated production and testing campus in Hyderabad designed to support end-to-end launch vehicle development, including propulsion manufacturing, vehicle integration, and qualification testing. This facility supports concurrent development and production activities as the company progresses toward orbital launch operations.

Skyroot’s propulsion development efforts include indigenous solid rocket motors and liquid propulsion systems, with a focus on manufacturability, reliability, and performance. Its engineering teams work across propulsion, structures, avionics, and systems integration to advance launch vehicle readiness and operational capability.

Skyroot Aerospace serves commercial satellite operators, research institutions, and government and international customers seeking access to small satellite launch services. Its progression from suborbital demonstration to orbital launch vehicle development reflects broader growth in private launch capabilities within India’s space sector and contributes to diversified global access to space. For more information, please click here.

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