Skyroot’s orbital launch: India’s own SpaceX is born, startup to give country another option to Isro for satellite launches
Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 successfully placed six payloads into an approximately 450 km low-Earth orbit, becoming the first Indian private rocket to reach orbit and giving domestic satellite operators an alternative launch option to ISRO's own vehicles.
The payloads included an Indian robotic-arm debris-capture demonstrator, an Earth-observation nanosatellite pathfinder, a technology-demonstration module from a German firm, and Skyroot's own in-house diagnostic satellite for monitoring rocket performance.
The mission was conducted under India's private space sector authorisation framework, through which the government retains oversight of privately conducted launches consistent with India's international space law commitments.
The launch renewed attention on the continued absence of a standalone Indian space law codifying licensing, liability and insurance obligations specific to private launch providers, a gap flagged by legal and policy analysts for several years.
Outer Space Treaty 1967, Article VI — State Responsibility for Non-Governmental Space Activities
The Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space (Outer Space Treaty), adopted in 1967, is the foundational instrument of international space law. Article VI requires that activities of non-governmental entities in outer space be subject to authorisation and continuing supervision by the appropriate State Party, and establishes that states bear international responsibility for national space activities whether carried out by government agencies or private, non-governmental entities.
Key Details
- The Outer Space Treaty entered into force in October 1967; India has ratified the treaty.
- Article VI is the treaty basis for domestic space authorisation regimes worldwide, including India's requirement that private launch and satellite activities obtain authorisation from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe).
- Because a private company's rocket remains a "national activity" for treaty purposes, the launching state cannot avoid international responsibility simply because the vehicle was privately built and owned.
Vikram-1 being a privately developed and flown rocket does not reduce India's international responsibility under Article VI — this treaty obligation is precisely why IN-SPACe authorisation was a legal prerequisite before Skyroot could conduct the launch from Indian territory.
Liability Convention 1972 and Registration Convention — India's Obligations as a Launching State
The Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects (Liability Convention), adopted in 1972, imposes absolute liability on a "launching state" for damage its space objects cause on the Earth's surface or to aircraft in flight, and fault-based liability for damage caused in outer space. The Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space (Registration Convention) separately requires launching states to register space objects, including private ones, in a national registry and with the United Nations.
Key Details
- India has ratified the Outer Space Treaty, the Rescue Agreement, the Liability Convention and the Registration Convention, though it has only signed, not ratified, the 1979 Moon Treaty.
- The Liability Convention's definition of "launching state" is broad enough to include the state from whose territory or facility a private object is launched — meaning India carries liability exposure for Vikram-1 regardless of Skyroot's private ownership.
- India continues to lack a comprehensive domestic Space Activities Law that would codify how this state-level liability is passed through to private operators via licensing conditions, insurance and indemnity requirements.
As more privately built rockets such as Vikram-1 launch from Indian soil, the absence of a dedicated national space law to allocate liability and insurance obligations between the state and private operators becomes a more pressing regulatory gap, since India's Liability Convention exposure does not depend on who owns the rocket.
NSIL and Private Operators — Two Distinct Tracks for Commercial Launch Services
NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), incorporated in March 2019 as the Department of Space's commercial public sector arm, absorbed the commercial launch-marketing functions previously carried out by Antrix Corporation (ISRO's original marketing arm, established 1992), and markets ISRO-built launch vehicles such as the PSLV to commercial satellite customers. Vikram-1 introduces a second, purely private track for commercial small-satellite launch services, distinct from NSIL's government-vehicle-based commercial model.
Key Details
- NSIL's most prominent commercial demonstration remains PSLV-C37, which deployed a then-record 104 satellites in a single mission in February 2017, including 96 foreign satellites, showcasing India's commercial rideshare launch capability using a government-built rocket.
- NSIL markets ISRO-developed launch vehicles and technology on a demand-driven commercial basis, whereas IN-SPACe-authorised private companies such as Skyroot design, build and operate their own vehicles independent of ISRO's production line.
- Satellite customers can now choose between NSIL-brokered launches on ISRO vehicles and IN-SPACe-authorised private launches such as Vikram-1, widening the commercial options available from India.
Vikram-1 does not substitute for NSIL's existing commercial launch business; it adds a structurally different, privately owned option in the small-satellite segment, expanding India's overall commercial launch service offering.
- Vikram-1 deployed six payloads into an approximately 450 km low-Earth orbit at a 60-degree inclination.
- Outer Space Treaty adopted 1967, entered into force October 1967; Article VI mandates state authorisation and supervision of non-governmental space activities.
- Liability Convention adopted 1972; imposes absolute liability on launching states for damage caused on Earth's surface or to aircraft in flight.
- India has ratified the Outer Space Treaty, Rescue Agreement, Liability Convention and Registration Convention; it has signed but not ratified the 1979 Moon Treaty.
- NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) incorporated March 2019 as the Department of Space's commercial arm, succeeding Antrix Corporation's commercial functions.
- PSLV-C37 (February 2017) deployed a then-record 104 satellites in a single mission, including 96 foreign satellites.
- Vikram-1's launch makes India the third country, after the United States and China, where a privately developed rocket has independently reached orbit.