On November 18, 2022, Indian space exploration achieved an epochal breakthrough when Skyroot Aerospace, a Hyderabad-based spacetech venture founded by former ISRO scientists Pawan Kumar Chandana and Bharath Daka, successfully launched the 'Vikram-S' sub-orbital rocket under 'Mission Prarambh' (The Beginning). Liftoff occurred from the sounding rocket complex at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR) in Sriharikota.

As India's first privately developed rocket to reach outer space, Vikram-S reached a peak apogee of 89.5 km at Mach 5, validating nearly 90% of the core avionics, composite structures, and solid propulsion systems designed for Skyroot's flagship orbital launch vehicle, Vikram-1.

Vikram-S liftoff from SDSC-SHAR, Sriharikota

Mission Prarambh Hosted Payloads

Mission Prarambh carried three customer payloads into a sub-orbital trajectory, showcasing Skyroot's capability to deploy multi-customer configurations with high structural and thermal integrity:

Customer payload integration by Skyroot technicians

Vikram-1 Stage-2 Integration at Sriharikota

Marking a decisive leap toward orbital launch capability, Skyroot Aerospace unveiled the first-ever pictures from the SDSC-SHAR spaceport of India's first privately built orbital rocket undergoing final mechanical integration. Vikram-1's Stage-2, powered by the solid rocket motor Kalam-250, completed integration inside the spaceport facilities.

Key integration milestones achieved at Sriharikota spaceport include:

Solar array / deployable mechanism hardware

Core Technology of Vikram-1

4.1 All-Carbon-Composite Airframe

Vikram-1 features an all-carbon-composite architecture that is 5 times lighter yet stronger than aerospace rocket steel, maximizing the payload-to-orbit mass fraction.

4.2 Monolithic Carbon-Composite Stage-1 (Kalam-1200)

Vikram-1's first stage is India's longest monolithic carbon-composite rocket stage, engineered as a seamless continuous carbon-filament structure to endure extreme motor combustion pressures without heavy joints.

4.3 100% 3D-Printed Liquid Engine (OAM)

The final stage houses the Orbit Adjustment Module (OAM), powered by India's first 100% 3D-printed regeneratively cooled liquid engine. Additive manufacturing collapses over 100 parts into a single consolidated component, cutting mass by 50% while delivering multi-restart orbital insertion accuracy.

4.4 Ultra-Low-Shock Pneumatic Separation

To safeguard delicate satellite electronics and optical instruments from severe explosive shocks, Skyroot implemented non-pyrotechnic pneumatic separation systems across all stages and fairings.

Flight Profile: Lift-Off to Orbital Injection

The planned flight trajectory of Vikram-1 from lift-off at Sriharikota to precision orbital insertion involves a tightly choreographed series of staging events:

Skyroot Aerospace: Flight sequence from lift-off to orbit

Conclusion & Outlook

From the historic maiden flight of Vikram-S to the full spaceport integration of Vikram-1 Stage 2 (Kalam-250) at Sriharikota, Skyroot Aerospace continues to set historic milestones in private aerospace engineering. With carbon-composite structures, 3D-printed upper-stage liquid engines, and low-shock separations, Skyroot is poised to deliver reliable, on-demand orbital launch capabilities to global commercial satellite customers.

Astrobase Space Technologies, based in Bengaluru, India, has developed the EVEREST rocket engine — a state-of-the-art liquid propulsion system utilizing the Full-Flow Staged Combustion (FFSC) cycle running on Sub-cooled Liquid Methane and Liquid Oxygen (Methalox). FFSC is widely recognized as the pinnacle of rocket engine thermodynamic efficiency, previously mastered only by SpaceX (Raptor) and historical Soviet experimental designs (RD-270).

EVEREST engine prototype assembly

How Full-Flow Staged Combustion Works

Unlike open-cycle (Gas Generator) systems where turbine exhaust is dumped as unthrustful waste, or conventional closed-cycle (Oxidizer-Rich or Fuel-Rich) systems where only one propellant powers all turbines, FFSC optimizes turbine power by utilizing two dedicated pre-burners and separate turbopumps:

Figure 1: Propellant flow and dual pre-burner schematic

Technical Specifications

Key Specs at a Glance

Milestones Achieved

EVEREST engine on display

Upcoming Roadmap

Bellatrix Aerospace is an Indian private aerospace company headquartered in Bengaluru. Founded in 2015 by Rohan M. Ganapathy and Yashas Karanam, and incubated at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), the company develops satellite propulsion systems — engines used to move satellites in space, change their orbits, and control their orientation.

The company's focus is on replacing traditional toxic fuels with safer, green and electric propulsion technologies. It designs, manufactures, and tests its propulsion systems entirely in-house, making it one of the few Indian companies with end-to-end capability in this domain.

What Makes Bellatrix Unique?

Key Propulsion Systems

A. Rudra Series — Green Chemical Thrusters

The Rudra is a green monopropellant thruster that uses Bellatrix's proprietary non-toxic fuel instead of toxic hydrazine. It is used for satellite orbit maintenance, attitude control, orbit changes, and de-orbiting. Available thrust options include 0.3N, 1N, 25N, and 100N, and the Rudra thrusters have been successfully tested in space.

B. Arka Series — Hall-Effect Electric Thrusters

Arka is an electric propulsion system based on Hall-effect technology. It uses xenon or krypton gas to generate plasma and produce thrust. It consumes very little fuel and can operate for long durations, making it ideal for satellites. The Arka-200 is the key model — India's first private Hall-effect thruster to be tested in orbit.

C. Dhruv — Microwave Plasma Thruster

Dhruv uses water as a propellant. Microwaves convert water into plasma, which then generates thrust. It is a very safe, low-cost option for small satellites and CubeSats — and possibly the only thruster in the world that turns water into spacecraft fuel.

D. Chetak — Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV)

Chetak is a space tug designed to move satellites from one orbit to another. With Chetak, a single rocket can launch multiple small satellites into different orbits. It will be equipped with both Rudra and Arka propulsion systems, making it a versatile last-mile delivery vehicle in space.

Tests Completed So Far

Bellatrix has successfully completed several ground and space tests, proving its propulsion systems in actual orbital conditions:

Future Plans

Conclusion

Bellatrix Aerospace has become an important part of India's new space revolution. The company has achieved success in green fuel, electric propulsion, and orbital transfer vehicles. In the future, it can play a major role in making India self-reliant in satellite propulsion and in capturing a share of the global space market.

On 30 May 2024, at 07:15 IST, a white-and-black rocket lifted off from India's first private launchpad at Sriharikota. It flew for roughly two minutes, reached an altitude of about 10 kilometres, and splashed down in the Bay of Bengal. By any global measure, it was a modest flight. But for India's private space sector, it was a watershed.

That mission — Agnibaan SOrTeD (Suborbital Technology Demonstrator) — was Agnikul Cosmos's first launch, and it made India only the fourth country in the world to fly a single-piece, fully 3D-printed rocket engine. Two years later, the company is preparing for Mission 02, which aims to do something far more ambitious: recover an orbital-class booster from the ocean and convert the spent upper stage into a functioning satellite. If successful, it would place India in the same conversation as SpaceX and Chinese reusable-rocket programmes.

Mission 01 (left) successfully demonstrated controlled ascent. Mission 02 (right) will attempt orbital payload deployment with booster recovery. Center: clustered engine firing test.

Mission 01: Agnibaan SOrTeD

The journey to Mission 01 was not smooth. The launch was attempted four times before it finally succeeded — each scrub teaching the team something about the vehicle, the ground systems, or the weather. The launch window opened on 28 May 2024 and closed on 5 June. On 30 May, everything aligned.

The rocket flew from Agnikul Launchpad-01 (ALP-01), a dedicated private launchpad built inside ISRO's Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota. The pad itself was a first — no Indian private company had operated its own launch facility inside an ISRO range before. IN-SPACe, the regulatory body created after the 2020 space reforms, had authorised the launch, marking a new chapter in the ISRO–private sector relationship.

Agnibaan SOrTeD on Agnikul Launchpad-01 (ALP-01) at SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota — India's first private launchpad.

The flight itself was suborbital — meaning the rocket did not reach orbital velocity. It demonstrated three things: that the vehicle could execute a controlled ascent, that the launch operations from a private pad could be conducted safely, and that the engine — the Agnite — could survive the thermal and vibrational environment of an actual flight. The mission validated the core architecture: a single-piece, 3D-printed, semi-cryogenic engine powered by electric-motor-driven pumps.

The Agnite Engine: One Piece, One Week

The Agnite engine is the heart of Agnibaan. It is a full 1 metre long, 3D-printed as a single piece of Inconel — a nickel-chromium superalloy known for its extreme temperature resistance. Traditional rocket engines are assembled from dozens of separately machined and welded components. Agnikul's approach eliminates welds entirely, reducing failure points and cutting manufacturing time to roughly seven days.

The engine is semi-cryogenic, meaning it uses liquid oxygen (LOX) alongside a room-temperature fuel. The feed system uses electric motor-driven pumps rather than traditional gas-generator or staged-combustion cycles. This simplifies the engine dramatically — no turbopumps, no preburners, fewer moving parts — at the cost of needing high-power electric motors and battery packs.

Scaling Up: From One Engine to a Cluster

One engine proves a concept. A cluster proves a launch vehicle. Through 2026, Agnikul progressively demonstrated multi-engine firings:

Each step doubled the complexity. The 3-engine cluster required syncing 6 pumps, 6 motors, and 6 speed control algorithms. The 4-engine test pushed that to 8 pumps and 8 motors. The goal was uniform startup, steady-state, and shutdown across all engines — a non-negotiable requirement for a controlled booster recovery.

Mission 02: The Reusability Gambit

Announced in July 2026, Mission 02 is an entirely different beast. Where Mission 01 proved that Agnibaan could fly, Mission 02 asks whether it can come back.

The mission will fly a two-stage Agnibaan configuration. After liftoff, the first-stage booster separates, performs a controlled descent, deploys grid fins for stabilisation, extends landing legs, and touches down on a barge in the Bay of Bengal. If recovered, it would be India's first orbital-class booster recovery — a feat achieved so far only by SpaceX and, more recently, by a Chinese company.

The Convertible Upper Stage

But the booster recovery is only half the story. The upper stage — the part that delivers the payload to orbit — has a second life. After deploying its satellite, the upper stage's avionics module converts into a functioning satellite. The propulsion module separates and deorbits, while the avionics module stays alive in orbit as a functional platform.

Mission 02 Profile: Step by Step

Launch from Anywhere: The Mobile Launcher

A key innovation for Mission 02 is the mobile launch pad. Instead of a fixed concrete structure, the launcher sits on the back of a trailer truck. This gives Agnikul the flexibility to launch from different locations — not just Sriharikota. The company is also developing a dedicated integrated space campus near Kulasekarapatnam in Tamil Nadu, on 300 acres allocated by the state government.

Mission 01 vs Mission 02: At a Glance

The People and the Backing

Agnikul was co-founded by Srinath Ravichandran (CEO) and Moin SPM (COO), and incubated at IIT Madras. In July 2026, the company onboarded S. Somanath, former chairman of ISRO — the man who led Chandrayaan-3, LVM3, and the RLV test programme — as an observer on its board. His expertise in booster design, stage recovery, and in-orbit operations is directly relevant to what Mission 02 attempts.

The company has raised $17 million in its most recent funding round, with backing from Advenza Global, HDFC Bank, Prathiti Investments, and Artha Venture Fund. The Tamil Nadu government, through TIDCO, has invested ₹25 crore and allocated 300 acres near Kulasekarapatnam for an integrated manufacturing and launch facility. Agnikul has also signed partnerships with ICEYE (Finland, SAR satellites) and Safran (France, propulsion systems) — part of a commercial pipeline valued at nearly $100 million.

Why This Matters

SpaceX's Falcon 9 has flown over 650 booster flights with stage reusability. Individual boosters have flown up to 35 missions. This is the economics that has fundamentally reshaped global launch pricing, and it is the barrier that every new launch provider must cross. As Agnikul itself put it: "Reusability is no longer a differentiator; it is a prerequisite."

For India, which has depended on ISRO's PSLV and LVM3 for decades, Mission 02 represents the moment the country begins closing the reusability gap on its own terms — through a homegrown startup, from a private launchpad, using a 3D-printed engine that can be manufactured in a week. If the booster comes back, and the upper stage stays alive in orbit, Agnikul will have demonstrated something that no Indian entity — public or private — has ever done.

And if it doesn't work the first time? The company has been here before. Mission 01 took four scrubs before it flew. The difference now is that the stakes — and the ambition — are exponentially higher.