Skyroot Aerospace Signs Two-Launch Contract with US Firm Reflect Orbital for On-Demand Sunlight Satellites
Skyroot Aerospace, the Hyderabad-based launch company founded in 2018, signed a contract with the US startup Reflect Orbital for two dedicated satellite launches on its Vikram rockets. Reflect Orbital plans satellites carrying large mirrors that redirect sunlight to chosen locations after sunset, offering controllable illumination over about 5 km with an on-off option for search-and-rescue, solar farms, remote industrial zones and defence. The first mission will fly on Vikram-1 and the second on the more powerful Vikram-1U, which adds first-stage boosters. Skyroot launched Vikram-S in November 2022 as India's first private rocket and flew Vikram-1 to orbit in July 2026.
Skyroot Aerospace was founded in 2018 by former ISRO engineers Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka and is headquartered at Hyderabad | Vikram-S, launched on 18 November 2022 from Sriharikota under Mission Prarambh, was India's first privately developed rocket | IN-SPACe, set up in 2020 and headquartered at Ahmedabad, is the single-window regulator and promoter for India's private space sector