Tech
Rocket Report: Indian startup nears first launch; SpaceX's millenary milestone
Indian startup Skyroot Aerospace has scheduled the first test flight of its Vikram-1 rocket between July 12 and August 4 from the Satish Dhawan Space Center
Key takeaways
- Skyroot Aerospace will attempt India's first private orbital launch with its Vikram-1 rocket between July 12 and August 4.
- Skyroot Aerospace has raised approximately $160 million to date, valuing the company at over $1 billion.
- NASA selected Rocket Lab to launch two science missions on three Electron rockets in 2027.
- Planet Labs signed up to launch at least one satellite on Isar Aerospace's Spectrum rocket.
- United Launch Alliance completed its final Atlas V launch with a payload fairing.
Indian startup Skyroot Aerospace has scheduled the first test flight of its Vikram-1 rocket between July 12 and August 4 from the Satish Dhawan Space Center, marking India's first private attempt to reach orbit. Additionally, NASA has selected Rocket Lab for three dedicated Electron launches in 2027, including the PolSIR and TSIS-2 missions. Meanwhile, United Launch Alliance completed its final Atlas V launch utilizing a payload fairing, and Blue Origin announced plans to return its New Glenn rocket to flight before the end of the year using a crane-based launch mount setup following a launch pad explosion.
Marks India's first private attempt to place a launch vehicle into orbit.
By the numbers
- $160M
- Total funding raised by Skyroot Aerospace to date
- $1B+
- Valuation of Skyroot Aerospace
- 3
- Electron rocket launches awarded to Rocket Lab by NASA
- 671
- Total flights of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy
- 7 metric tons
- Launch mass of the SXM-11 satellite
How it unfolded
- NASA completed the Artemis II mission
- First Spectrum launch by Isar Aerospace failed
- Launch window for Skyroot's Vikram-1 test flight
- Scheduled launches for NASA's PolSIR and TSIS-2 missions
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Common questions
- What happened with Skyroot Aerospace?
- Skyroot Aerospace will attempt India's first private orbital launch with its Vikram-1 rocket between July 12 and August 4.
- Where can I read the original report?
- Read the full report at Ars Technica.
