Skyroot Aerospace has secured a three-launch commercial agreement with space technology company HEX20, weeks after its Vikram-1 rocket successfully reached orbit on its maiden flight. The agreement, covering dedicated launches beginning in late 2027, marks an early commercial outcome from the Hyderabad-based company’s orbital debut and points to growing customer interest in privately developed Indian launch vehicles.

The Vikram-1 mission on July 18, 2026, marked a major milestone for India’s private space sector, with the rocket becoming the country’s first privately developed orbital launch vehicle to reach orbit on its first attempt. The successful flight demonstrated the performance of Skyroot’s launch vehicle, propulsion systems and integration capabilities after years of development. The company is now targeting a launch cadence of up to 12 missions a year to meet demand for dedicated small-satellite launches.

The mission also carried SCOPE, a 3.415-kg, 3U CubeSat developed by Skyroot as an in-house technology demonstrator. The satellite was successfully deployed into orbit and established parts of its communications chain. Ground stations detected its radio-frequency carrier and achieved PCM frame synchronisation during multiple orbital passes, while its pre-programmed sequences and communication windows occurred broadly as expected.

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However, engineers were unable to decode usable housekeeping telemetry from SCOPE. Without this engineering data, several spacecraft systems could not be fully assessed, including the imaging payload, attitude determination and control system, and certain sensors and actuators. The outcome meant that some of the technology demonstration objectives remained unverified, although the spacecraft successfully survived launch, separation and operations across multiple orbits.

Skyroot has nevertheless identified several elements of SCOPE that were successfully demonstrated, including the satellite deployment mechanism, communications link, mission sequencing, electrical power architecture, solar-assisted battery charging, structural design, real-time clock performance and Mission Control Centre operations. The mixed results underline the experimental nature of maiden missions, where proving the launch vehicle is generally the primary objective and payload experiments can provide additional engineering lessons.

The HEX20 agreement is therefore significant for Skyroot as it provides an early indication that Vikram-1’s orbital performance is translating into commercial opportunities. The three dedicated launches are intended for Earth-observation and in-orbit demonstration missions, according to the company. HEX20 CEO Amal Chandran noted that the partnership would combine the capabilities of both companies to create stronger pathways to orbit and support missions for customers in India and overseas. For Skyroot, the contract represents a key step from demonstrating launch capability to building a sustained commercial launch business.

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