Skyroot Aerospace

spaceindia-oemOperationalTier A

Country: IN

Last verified: 2026-08-30

At a Glance

Headquarters: Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Type: Company (listed)
Founded: 2018 (by ex-ISRO scientists Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka)
India entity: null
Listed: Not listed — private startup; total funding ~$145-160M; valuation $1.1B (unicorn, May 2026); investors include GIC, Sherpalo Ventures, BlackRock, Temasek
Key India role: Skyroot Aerospace is a Hyderabad-based private launch vehicle startup founded in 2018 by former ISRO scientists Pawan Kumar Chandana (CEO) and Naga Bharath Daka (COO). Made history on 18 November 2022
indicators: []
key specs: []

What It Is

Skyroot Aerospace is a Hyderabad-based private launch vehicle startup founded in 2018 by former ISRO scientists Pawan Kumar Chandana (CEO) and Naga Bharath Daka (COO). Made history on 18 November 2022 with Vikram-S suborbital launch (Mission Prarambh) — India's first privately developed rocket to reach space. On 18 July 2026, Skyroot's Vikram-1 (4-stage orbital small-lift launch vehicle) made its maiden orbital flight (Mission Aagaman, Demo Flight) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, becoming the first private Indian company to reach orbit. Vikram-1 places ~250 kg to 500 km LEO. Uses cryogenic upper stage and Kalam-series solid rocket motors — Kalam-5 test fired Dec 2020; Kalam-1200 (first stage of Vikram-1) first static test at SDSC-SHAR 8 Aug 2025; Kalam-250 (235 kN vacuum thrust, largest private Indian propulsion system) tested Mar 2024. Total funding $145M+; $1.1B valuation (May 2026 $60M round led by GIC + Sherpalo Ventures + BlackRock). Multi-launch deal signed with HEX20 (Aug 2026) for 3 dedicated Vikram missions from Q4 2027.

Sources: [1][2][3][4][5]

Deployments & Procurement

7 documented India deployment(s)/procurement(s).

Agency	Context	Year	Quantity / Note	Sources
Multiple	Vikram-S Mission Prarambh — successful suborbital launch from Sriharikota on 18 November 2022 at 11:30 IST; India's first privately developed rocket to space	2022	—	[1][2][3]
Multiple	Vikram-1 Mission Aagaman (Demo Flight) — first orbital launch 18 July 2026 at 06:35 UTC from First Launch Pad, SDSC-SHAR; first private Indian company to reach orbit (delayed from original Sept 2025 target)	2026	—	[1][2][3]
Multiple	Kalam-5 solid propulsion rocket stage successfully test-fired 28 December 2020	2020	—	[1][2][3]
Multiple	Kalam-250 engine successfully tested (235 kN vacuum thrust — largest propulsion system in India's private space sector) — March 2024	2024	—	[1][2][3]
Multiple	First static test of KALAM 1200 solid motor at SDSC-SHAR — 8 August 2025 (Vikram-1 first-stage booster)	2025	—	[1][2][3]
Multiple	Multi-launch agreement with HEX20 (signed Aug 2026) for 3 dedicated Vikram missions from Q4 2027 to deploy EO and demo satellites	2026	—	[1][2][3]
Multiple	Series C-equivalent $60M funding round (May 2026) led by GIC + Sherpalo Ventures + BlackRock → $1.1B valuation; total capital ~$145-160M	2026	—	[1][2][3]