Indian Private Space Firm to Attempt Historic Orbital Launch
Skyroot Aerospace, India's first space tech unicorn, is set to attempt the country's first commercial orbital launch on Saturday.
The Vikram-1 rocket is scheduled to lift off at 11:30 India Time (06:00 GMT) from the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Sriharikota facility. Its target is Low Earth Orbit, approximately 280 miles (450km) away.
A successful 16-minute flight would make Skyroot the first Indian private company to reach orbit, placing India alongside the U.S. and China as the only nations with this private capability.
"If successful, this will be a historic flight for the private space sector in India," said CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana. The company, founded in 2018 by former ISRO engineers, reached a $1.1 billion valuation last year.
Skyroot's business model offers a "cab service to space," providing dedicated launches for small satellites. This aims to bypass the long wait times associated with booking space on large, schedule-driven rockets.
"What we are offering is a cab service to space," Chandana explained, comparing their service to using a taxi instead of waiting for a train.
The test mission, named "Aagman" (arrival), will carry six payloads. These include scientific instruments for debris removal and Earth observation, a satellite from a German company, and symbolic tributes to India's scientific pioneers.
The symbolic payloads feature a gold rocket with micro-sculptures of Vikram Sarabhai, C.V. Raman, and A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, each smaller than a grain of rice.
Skyroot plans a second test flight this year, with commercial operations beginning in 2024. The company has the capacity to build one rocket per month at its Hyderabad factory.
The launch occurs as India's space program gains global attention following recent successful lunar and Mars missions by ISRO.