Rocket Report: India's Skyroot nears launch, Russia's Sarmat ICBM finally succeeds
India's first private orbital rocket could fly in months as Russia claims a long-awaited ICBM test win.
India’s private space sector is heating up. Skyroot Aerospace, founded by former ISRO engineer Pawan Kumar Chandana, is preparing for the maiden orbital launch of its Vikram-1 rocket. The three-stage solid-fuel vehicle can place up to 500 kilograms into low-Earth orbit. After a successful suborbital test with the smaller Vikram-S in 2022, the company raised $60 million at a $1.1 billion valuation, signaling strong investor confidence. The launch, expected within a few months, would mark the first orbital attempt by an Indian private company since the government opened the space sector to private players in 2020.
In other headlines, Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced a successful test launch of the RS-28 Sarmat ICBM from Plesetsk Cosmodrome, with the missile reaching its target on the Kamchatka Peninsula. The Sarmat (NATO: SS-29 Satan II) is a silo-launched, liquid-fueled heavy ICBM designed to replace the aging R-36M2. It has a troubled history: a successful test in 2022, a failed launch in February 2023, and another failure in September 2024 that destroyed the test silo. President Putin claims the missile will be operationally deployed later this year, though independent verification is lacking. Separately, an Italian consortium completed a suborbital demonstration of an air-launched rocket system using a Dornier Alpha Jet, advancing Europe’s small launch capabilities.
- Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1, a three-stage solid rocket, can lift 500 kg to LEO and is set for first orbital launch within months.
- The startup raised $60M at a $1.1B valuation, becoming India's most valuable private space company.
- Russia's RS-28 Sarmat ICBM had a successful test after two recent failures; deployment planned for later this year.
Why It Matters
India's private space industry gains momentum while Russia reasserts its strategic missile capabilities, reshaping global launch and defense dynamics.