Engineering:Vikram-1
Vikram-1 (Sanskrit, lit. Brave, also known as Vikram-I) is a four-stage, expendable orbital small-lift launch vehicle developed by Skyroot Aerospace. Its first three stages are solid stages, while the fourth stage is a liquid stage.
The first flight, known as Aagaman, flew on 18 July 2026. The launch was a success, making India the third country with a private orbital launch capability, after the U.S. and China.[1][2]
Development
Skyroot Aerospace unveiled the Vikram-1 launch vehicle in October 2023 at its MAX-Q headquarters in Hyderabad.[3] The rocket is named after Vikram Sarabhai, often described as the father of the Indian space program.[4] The company stated that the rocket was developed to serve the growing global small satellite launch market.[5]
The vehicle's development followed the successful launch of the suborbital demonstrator Vikram-S in November 2022, which made Skyroot the first Indian private company to launch a rocket from ISRO's launch facilities.[6]
In May 2022, Skyroot completed a full-duration static test of the Kalam-100 solid rocket stage, a component of Vikram-1. Additional qualification tests, including stage separation tests and avionics validation, were carried out through 2024 and 2025.[7]
In November 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the flight-ready configuration of Vikram-1 during the inauguration of Skyroot's Infinity Campus in Hyderabad.[8]
Design
Vikram-1 is a four-stage orbital launch vehicle approximately 20 metres tall and 1.7 metres in diameter.[9] The first three stages use solid propulsion, while the upper kick stage uses liquid propulsion for orbital insertion and adjustment manoeuvres.[10]
The rocket incorporates carbon-composite airframes intended to reduce structural mass. Skyroot has also stated that the vehicle uses 3D-printed liquid engines and modular avionics systems.[11]
The Kalam 250 has thrust vector control for steering. The upper stage features RCS thrusters for attitude control.[12]
Skyroot advertises Vikram-1 as a responsive launch system capable of rapid integration and launch operations with minimal launch infrastructure requirements.[13] It is capable of dedicated launches, or rideshare missions.[5]
Launch history
The inaugural flight of this launch vehicle was the Aagaman (Sanskrit, 'Arrival') mission on 18 July 2026, which successfully launched miniaturized satellites into low Earth orbit.[10][14][15] Skyroot described Aagaman as a test flight and stated that it planned to conduct additional test flights before beginning routine commercial launches. The mission's payload was injected into orbit approximately 15 minutes after liftoff.[16]
| Date / time (UTC) | Flight | Rocket (configuration) |
Launch site | Payload | Orbit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 July 2026 06:35:30 |
Test Flight-1 | Vikram-1 | Satish Dhawan FLP | LEO | Success | |
| 'Mission Aagaman', the maiden flight of Vikram-1. Cosmoserve Space's robotic arm Embrace and an on-orbit demonstration from German company DCUBED were hosted on the upper stage of the mission. The rocket successfully reached orbit on its first attempt.[14] | ||||||
| Q1 2027 | TBA | Vikram-1U | Satish Dhawan | TBA | LEO | Planned |
| Maiden flight of Vikram-1U configuration of Vikram-1 with additional solid rocket boosters.[19] | ||||||
See also
- Vikram-2
- SSLV
- Agnibaan
- Space industry of India
- List of Vikram launches
References
- ↑ "'The dawn of a new space era': Vikram-1, India's 1st private orbital rocket, aces debut launch" (in en). 2026-07-17. https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/skyroot-aerospace-india-first-private-orbital-launch-vikram-1.
- ↑ Foust, Jeff (2026-07-18). "Skyroot Aerospace reaches orbit on first Vikram-1 launch" (in en-US). https://spacenews.com/skyroot-aerospace-reaches-orbit-on-first-vikram-1-launch/.
- ↑ Thathoo, Chetan (2023-10-24). "Shooting For The Stars: Skyroot Unveils Orbital Rocket Vikram-I At Its New HQ In Hyderabad" (in en). https://inc42.com/buzz/shooting-for-the-moon-skyroot-unveils-orbital-rocket-vikram-i-at-its-new-hq-in-hyderabad/.
- ↑ "India's first privately developed rocket reaches orbit on dramatic debut launch" (in en). 2026-07-19. https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/07/indias-first-privately-developed-rocket-reaches-orbit-on-dramatic-debut-launch/.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Skyroot | On-Demand Space Launch Vehicles" (in en). https://www.skyroot.in/.
- ↑ "India successfully launches Vikram-S, first privately made rocket" (in en). https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/11/18/india-successfully-launches-vikram-s-first-privately-made-rocket.
- ↑ Alamalhodaei, Aria (2022-05-20). "Skyroot successfully completes full-duration stage test" (in en-US). https://techcrunch.com/2022/05/20/indian-launch-startup-skyroot-successfully-completes-full-duration-stage-test/.
- ↑ "PM Modi to inaugurate Skyroot's Infinity Campus, unveil Vikram-I Orbital Rocket today" (in en-US). https://ddnews.gov.in/en/pm-to-inaugurate-skyroots-infinity-campus-unveil-vikram-i-orbital-rocket-on-november-27/.
- ↑ "Skyroot readies Vikram-1 for India's first private orbital launch - Manufacturing Today India" (in en-US). 2026-04-26. https://www.manufacturingtodayindia.com/skyroot-readies-vikram-1-for-indias-first-private-orbital-launch.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "India's Skyroot launches Vikram-1 in first private orbital rocket mission". https://www.reuters.com/science/indias-skyroot-launches-vikram-1-first-private-orbital-rocket-mission-2026-07-18/.
- ↑ "Skyroot Aerospace and Dhawan-II's More Powerful 3D-Printed Cryogenic Engine". https://www.cryogenicsociety.org/index.php?option=com_dailyplanetblog&view=entry&category=industry-news&id=178:skyroot-aerospace-and-dhawan-ii-s-more-powerful-3d-printed-cryogenic-engine.
- ↑ "Skyroot successfully test fires Stage-2 of Vikram 1 space launch vehicle" (in en-IN). The Hindu. 2024-03-28. ISSN 0971-751X. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/hyderabad-based-skyroot-successfully-test-fires-kalam-250-stage-2-of-vikram-1-space-launch-vehicle/article68001573.ece.
- ↑ "MSN". https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/insight/skyroot-aerospace-nears-maiden-orbital-rocket-launch-milestone/gm-GMCAD8DC86?gemSnapshotKey=GMCAD8DC86-snapshot-3&uxmode=ruby.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "'The dawn of a new space era': Vikram-1, India's 1st private orbital rocket, aces debut launch" (in en). 2026-07-17. https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/skyroot-aerospace-india-first-private-orbital-launch-vikram-1.
- ↑ "With Skyroot at the head of the class, India's private space industry seeks to take off" (in en). 2026-05-11. https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/05/with-skyroot-at-the-head-of-the-class-indias-private-space-industry-seeks-to-take-off/.
- ↑ "India's Skyroot launches Vikram-1 in first private orbital rocket mission". Reuters. 18 July 2026. https://www.reuters.com/science/indias-skyroot-launches-vikram-1-first-private-orbital-rocket-mission-2026-07-18/.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 "Vikram-1". https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau/vikram-1.htm.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 "Mission Aagaman". https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/mission-aagaman.htm.
- ↑ Foust, Jeff (2026-07-08). "Skyroot prepares for first orbital launch attempt" (in en-US). https://spacenews.com/skyroot-prepares-for-first-orbital-launch-attempt/.
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