Skyroot Aerospace
Skyroot Aerospace is a Hyderabad-based private launch services company founded in 2018 that builds the Vikram family of small satellite launch vehicles (Vikram-I, Vikram-II) for on-demand dedicated and rideshare delivery to LEO and SSO, serving global commercial, government, and defense smallsat operators.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersHyderabad, India
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Skyroot Aerospace does
Skyroot Aerospace is a Hyderabad, India-based private aerospace manufacturer and launch service provider founded in 2018 by former ISRO scientists Pawan Kumar Chandana (CEO) and Naga Bharath Daka (COO). The company designs, builds, and operates the Vikram family of launch vehicles — the retired Vikram-S suborbital demonstrator (which flew Mission Prarambh in November 2022 to 88.8 km altitude at Mach 5.07), the near-term Vikram-I orbital vehicle targeting up to 350 kg to LEO and 260 kg to SSO with a maiden orbital flight in 2026, and the larger Vikram-II with a cryogenic upper stage targeting up to 900 kg to LEO from 2027. Underlying the vehicles is a vertically integrated propulsion and airframe stack: in-house 3D-printed liquid engines, all-carbon composite structures validated to 14.8G loads, solid rocket motors (Kalam-1200 and Kalam-250), and India's first privately built cryogenic engine (Dhawan-1), with over 90% of Vikram-1 components sourced from more than 400 Indian suppliers.
The commercial model is on-demand launch services sold primarily to global small-satellite operators in the US, Europe, and Southeast Asia, with the CEO projecting 70-80% of demand to be international. Customers can book dedicated or rideshare capacity through a self-serve online configurator (selecting orbit, inclination, payload mass, and ride type) backed by direct enterprise sales; partnerships with Exolaunch and exploratory SEALSQ/WISeSat ties extend distribution. Secondary revenue is expected from satellite systems manufacturing, and the company holds ISO 9001 and AS9100D certifications.
Skyroot is pre-revenue with FY25 losses of Rs 99.70 crore and has raised approximately $160 million across equity and debt, achieving a $1.1 billion pre-money valuation in May 2026 as India's first spacetech unicorn, backed by GIC, BlackRock, Temasek, Sherpalo Ventures, and others. Forward revenue is forecast at Rs 977 crore by FY27 rising to Rs 13,205 crore by FY32, contingent on successful orbital debut and launch cadence at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre under IN-SPACe authorization with ISRO technical oversight.
Skyroot Aerospace firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Skyroot Aerospace
- Legal name
- Skyroot Aerospace
- Website
- https://skyroot.in
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Skyroot Aerospace is a Hyderabad-based private launch services company founded in 2018 that builds the Vikram family of small satellite launch vehicles (Vikram-I, Vikram-II) for on-demand dedicated and rideshare delivery to LEO and SSO, serving global commercial, government, and defense smallsat operators.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Skyroot Aerospace industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commercial Space Launch Services
- NAICS
- Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Propulsion Unit and Propulsion Unit Parts Manufacturing (336415), Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336419)
- SIC
- Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760), Aircraft Engines & Engine Parts (3724), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Launch Vehicles & Orbital Rockets (IMABACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Spacecraft & Satellites (Civil/Commercial) (IMABACAB), Spacecraft Propulsion (In-Space) & Thrusters (IMABACAE), Rocket Engines (Solid) (IMABADAF)
Keywords
Where Skyroot Aerospace is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hyderabad
- HQ country
- India
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices3 records
Markets served
Skyroot Aerospace business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Launch Services Revenue: Primary revenue stream projected at Rs 977 crore by FY27, rising to Rs 2,039 crore (FY28) and Rs 13,205 crore (FY32), driven by dedicated and rideshare launches of Vikram-1 and Vikram-2 vehicles for small satellite customers globally. Currently pre-revenue, with reported FY25 losses of Rs 99.70 crore.
- Satellite Systems Manufacturing Revenue: Secondary revenue stream from manufacturing satellite systems, projected as part of overall revenue ramp to Rs 977 crore by FY27.
- On-Demand Dedicated Launch Revenue: Customizable dedicated launches providing customers with exclusive rocket capacity and mission control for specific orbital requirements, targeting global small satellite operators in the US, Europe, and Southeast Asia.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Outcome Based/ Performance | — | Vikram-I Launch Vehicle |
| Outcome Based/ Performance | — | Vikram-II Launch Vehicle |
| Transaction based/ take rate | — | Rideshare Launch Mode |
| Outcome Based/ Performance | — | Dedicated Launch Mode |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Skyroot Aerospace product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Skyroot Aerospace designs, manufactures, and commercially operates the Vikram family of orbital launch vehicles (Vikram-I and upcoming Vikram-II) to deliver small satellites to Low Earth Orbit and Sun-synchronous Orbit on demand. The company offers dedicated and rideshare launch services booked through an online configurator, with vertical integration of propulsion, composite airframe, and avionics technology developed and validated in-house.
Product overview
Skyroot Aerospace is a single-line private space launch services company rather than a platform-plus-modules product. Its commercial offering centers on the Vikram family of launch vehicles, fronted by the upcoming Vikram-I orbital rocket (target maiden flight 2026) and the heavier-lift Vikram-II with a cryogenic stage (target 2027), while the legacy Vikram-S suborbital demonstrator (Mission Prarambh, 2022) validated the underlying propulsion and composite technologies. These launch vehicles are sold to small-satellite operators through the company's On-Demand Launch Services book-and-fly interface, which lets customers reserve dedicated or rideshare capacity to Low Earth Orbit (and eventually Sun-synchronous, Medium Earth, and Geostationary orbits). Underlying the vehicle program are in-house developed engines and motors — Raman-1, Dhawan-1, the Kalam-1200 booster, and the Kalam-250 stage motor — that are part of Skyroot's vertically integrated propulsion stack rather than separately marketed products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Vikram-I: On-demand launch vehicle for rapid, precise, and customizable small satellite deployments to LEO (up to 350 kg) and SSO (up to 260 kg), featuring all-carbon composite structure and 3D-printed liquid engine. Launching in 2026.
- Vikram-II
- Vikram-S
- Mission Prarambh
- Kalpana Fellowship Program
Products and services
- Vikram-I Skyroot's near-term flagship orbital launch vehicle for small-satellite operators, providing up to 350 kg payload to Low Earth Orbit and up to 260 kg to Sun-synchronous Orbit with dedicated or rideshare configurations and custom orbital deployment.
- Vikram-II Next-generation heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle in the Vikram family with multi-orbit agility, carrying up to 900 kg to Low Earth Orbit and up to 600 kg to Sun-synchronous Orbit, differentiated by an advanced cryogenic engine and carbon-composite structure.
- Vikram-S (Mission Prarambh) Single-stage all-carbon-composite solid suborbital rocket that became India's first privately built rocket to reach space on 18 November 2022, validating solid propulsion, carbon-composite airframe, avionics, and telemetry for the orbital Vikram series.
- On-Demand Launch Services Commercial launch service enabling customers to book payload capacity on Vikram-I or Vikram-II by selecting orbit (LEO with MEO and GEO marked as Coming Soon), inclination, payload mass, launch period, and ride type (Rideshare or Dedicated), marketed as a customizable on-demand alternative to rideshare models.
Quantifiable outcome
- Vikram-S reached peak altitude of 88.8 km and maximum velocity of Mach 5.07 during 301.4 second flight
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Skyroot Aerospace
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Skyroot Aerospace technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature8 records
Skyroot Aerospace partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators10 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Skyroot Aerospace competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Rocket Lab: Public US small-sat launch operator with Electron (small-lift) and Neutron (mid-lift) vehicles. Closest direct competitor to Skyroot's on-demand small-sat model, with proven orbital cadence and a global customer base that overlaps Skyroot's target market.
- Agnikul Cosmos: Indian private launch startup developing the Agnibaan small-sat orbital rocket with a custom semi-cryogenic engine. Direct Indian competitor chasing the same domestic private-launch market and customer set.
- Dhruva Space: Indian private spacetech company building satellite platforms and launch services (LEO, suborbital). Closely comparable as a homegrown small-sat and launch services peer, often co-invested with Skyroot in the Indian spacetech ecosystem.
Broad incumbents
- SpaceX: Dominant commercial launch provider whose Falcon 9 rideshare program sets the global price benchmark for small-sat launches. Competes with Skyroot for the same commercial constellation customers, but at vastly greater scale and lower marginal cost.
- ISRO: Indian national space agency and the historic monopoly provider of orbital launch in India. Although regulator-partner (IN-SPACe) rather than pure competitor, ISRO's PSLV/SSLV programs compete for the same small-sat launch demand and operate the Sriharikota range Skyroot depends on.
- Blue Origin: US-based launch and space services company with New Glenn and New Shepard programs. Broad incumbent across multiple launch categories; competes indirectly with Skyroot for institutional and government payloads.
Emerging players
- Relativity Space: US launch startup pioneering 3D-printed rockets (Terran R/Raptor) and a vertically integrated manufacturing approach. Comparable in scale-up ambition, technology bets on additive manufacturing, and private-equity-backed balance sheet.
- Galactic Energy: Chinese private launch startup operating the Ceres-1 solid-fueled small-sat rocket. Comparable as a private challenger in an emerging-market launch ecosystem targeting commercial small-sat customers.
- iSpace: Chinese/Japanese private launch startup developing Hyperbola small-sat launchers with a similar first-launch-driven commercialization path. Relevant as an Asian emerging-market launch peer.
- PLD Space: Spanish private launch startup developing the Miura family of small-sat rockets. Comparable as a European emerging launch player pursuing reusable small-lift vehicles with similar customer overlap.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Skyroot Aerospace social profiles
Digital presenceSkyroot Aerospace compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Skyroot Aerospace financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Skyroot Aerospace leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Skyroot Aerospace funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds10 records
Investors17 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Skyroot Aerospace M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Skyroot Aerospace
What does Skyroot Aerospace do?
Skyroot Aerospace designs, manufactures, and commercially operates the Vikram family of orbital launch vehicles (Vikram-I and upcoming Vikram-II) to deliver small satellites to Low Earth Orbit and Sun-synchronous Orbit on demand. The company offers dedicated and rideshare launch services booked through an online configurator, with vertical integration of propulsion, composite airframe, and avionics technology developed and validated in-house.
Is Skyroot Aerospace a public or private company?
Skyroot Aerospace is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Skyroot Aerospace founded?
Skyroot Aerospace was founded in 2018. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Skyroot Aerospace based?
Skyroot Aerospace is headquartered in Hyderabad, India, in the Asia region.
How does Skyroot Aerospace make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Launch Services Revenue is the primary driver. The others are satellite Systems Manufacturing Revenue and on-Demand Dedicated Launch Revenue.
Who are Skyroot Aerospace's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Rocket Lab, Agnikul Cosmos and Dhruva Space. Broad incumbents are SpaceX, ISRO and Blue Origin. Emerging players are Relativity Space, Galactic Energy, iSpace and PLD Space.
Does Skyroot Aerospace have an API?
No public API is recorded for Skyroot Aerospace.
What industry is Skyroot Aerospace in?
Skyroot Aerospace's product category is Commercial Space Launch Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABACAA, Launch Vehicles & Orbital Rockets, with a secondary code of IMABACAB, Spacecraft & Satellites (Civil/Commercial). Its NAICS code is 336414 and its SIC code is 3760.