Skyroot Aerospace has achieved unicorn status after raising $60 million in a recent funding round that valued the Hyderabad-based startup at $1.1 billion on a pre-money basis. The investment included approximately $50 million in primary equity co-led by Sherpalo Ventures and GIC, along with around $10 million in structured debt managed by funds affiliated with BlackRock. This milestone comes as the company prepares for the maiden orbital launch of its Vikram-1 rocket in the coming weeks.

The Vikram-1 rocket was transported to India’s spaceport on the southern island of Sriharikota in April, and the startup is targeting a June launch after completing flight qualification tests and beginning integration and launch campaign activities. Founded in 2018 by former Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) engineers Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka, Skyroot is building small satellite launch rockets broadly comparable to those developed by U.S.-based companies such as Rocket Lab and Firefly Aerospace, with Vikram-1 designed to carry payloads of up to 350 kilograms into low Earth orbit.

The latest valuation more than doubles from the $500 million pre-money valuation Skyroot secured during its previous funding round in 2023, as global investors place expansion bets on India’s emerging private space sector. The round drew participation from Playbook Partners, Arkam Ventures, and the founders of Greenko Group. Ram Shriram, founder of Sherpalo Ventures and a board member at Alphabet, will join Skyroot’s board. The startup declined to disclose revenue figures or customer backlog details but commented that demand for dedicated launches for modest satellite operators was strong, with about one-third of expected demand coming from India and the rest from international customers.

Skyroot first drew attention in November 2022 after launching Vikram-S, a suborbital rocket mission that marked India’s first privately developed rocket launch. The fresh capital will be used to scale manufacturing, grow the launch cadence of Vikram-1 missions, and support development of Vikram-2, a heavier-lift launch vehicle expected to debut in 2027. Vikram-2 is being designed as a one-ton-class launch vehicle powered by a cryogenic stage, expanding Skyroot’s ability to serve more complex satellite missions and compete in the growing global industry for small satellite launches.

Skyroot’s rise comes as India pushes to expand its share of the global space economy by opening the sector to private companies and leveraging lower manufacturing and launch costs to compete globally. India’s space economy is estimated at $8.4 billion and projected to grow to $44 billion by 2033, while the country had nearly 400 space-tech startups as of early 2026, according to government estimates. The startup’s upcoming Vikram-1 mission comes as India seeks to build additional commercial launch capacity alongside the state-run ISRO, which has faced setbacks in recent missions, including two consecutive launch failures. Reforms introduced since 2020 have allowed private firms to access ISRO facilities and participate in end-to-end space activities, helping spur the emergence of startups across launch systems, satellites, and propulsion technologies.