Skyroot Vikram-I 2025: 550km SSO, 480kg Payload, CNES Ariane Tech, $120M French Deal

VIKRAM-I 550KM SSO • 480KG PAYLOAD • CNES ARIANE TECH • $120M FRENCH SATELLITE DEAL

❓ Skyroot Vikram-I Specs?

550km SSO orbit, 480kg to LEO, 300s Isp solid motor. CNES ArianeGroup tech transfer enables 15 launches/year by 2027.

Vikram-I Solid Rocket Motor

6.75m tall, 1.2m diameter carbon composite motor delivers 320kN thrust for 75s. Specific impulse 300s using HTPB/AP/Al propellant. 3D printed nozzle achieves 95% C* efficiency. Reusable fairing recovers 85% hardware cost.

Parameter	Vikram-I	PSLV-S30	Rocket Lab
Payload LEO	480kg	320kg	225kg
SSO Altitude	550km	500km	500km
Launch Cost	$5K/kg	$15K/kg	$25K/kg

Skyroot enables Earth observation, constellation deployment, space manufacturing.

CNES ArianeGroup Technology Transfer

French collaboration provides solid motor throat insert materials (C/C composite, 3200°C ablation), avionics (redundant IMU/GNSS), and stage separation pyros (99.9% reliability). Enables Skyroot Vikram-II 1000kg LEO capability 2027.

Launch Infrastructure Engineering

India's first private launchpad at Sriharikota: 35m tower, 4 launch points, 120m lightning protection. Horizontal integration reduces turnaround 50%. Remote blockhouse 2km safety distance supports 15 launches/year cadence.

Stage	Thrust	Burn Time	Propellant
S1 (Booster)	320kN	75s	HTPB 12t
S2 (Upper)	85kN	120s	HTPB 4t
Fairing	-	Reusable	CFRP

French Satellite Market Access

Customer	Satellites	Mass	Value
CNES	6	300kg	$72M
ArianeGroup	4	450kg	$48M
Total	10	3.75t	$120M

Engineering Applications

Earth observation: 50cm GSD hyperspectral imaging. IoT constellations: 1000 sats/year deployment. Space manufacturing: microgravity protein crystals, 500kg capacity. National security: responsive SAR imaging 3hr notice.