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.
Development
Schematic representation of Vikram-1
Skyroot Aerospace unveiled the Vikram-1 launch vehicle in October 2023 at its MAX-Q headquarters in Hyderabad. The rocket is named after Vikram Sarabhai, often described as the father of the Indian space program. The company stated that the rocket was developed to serve the growing global small satellite launch market.
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.
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.
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.
Design
Vikram-1 is a four-stage orbital launch vehicle approximately 20 metres (65ft 7in) tall and 1.7 metres (5ft 7in) in diameter. The first three stages use solid propulsion, while the upper kick stage uses liquid propulsion for orbital insertion and adjustment manoeuvres.
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.
The Kalam-250 has thrust vector control for steering. The OAM (Orbital Adjustment Module) upper stage features RCS thrusters for attitude control.
Skyroot advertises Vikram-1 as a responsive launch system capable of rapid integration and launch operations with minimal launch infrastructure requirements. It is capable of conducting dedicated launches or rideshare missions.
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. 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.
'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.
Two launch order from Reflect Orbital. First launch will be Vikram-1, second will be Vikram-1U. Maiden flight of Vikram-1U configuration of Vikram-1 with additional solid rocket boosters. Flight will have a dedicated payload from US-based Reflect orbital.
This template lists historical, current, and future space rockets that at least once attempted (but not necessarily succeeded in) an orbital launch or that are planned to attempt such a launch in the future
Symbol † indicates past or current rockets that attempted orbital launches but never succeeded (never did or has yet to perform a successful orbital launch)
