Recent launches and commercial space (NSIL, IN-SPACe, Skyroot Vikram-S, Agnikul Agnibaan, Pixxel)

Story hook

It is 11:30 AM on 18 November 2022. At Sriharikota's SDSC SHAR, a rocket smaller than the height of a four-storey building sits on the launch pad. It is Vikram-S, named after Vikram Sarabhai. The launching authority is Skyroot Aerospace — a four-year-old startup founded by two ex-ISRO engineers in Hyderabad. The mission name: Prarambh ("the beginning"). At 11:30, ignition. Vikram-S becomes the first privately built rocket launched from Indian soil.

Eighteen months later, on 30 May 2024, another four-year-old startup launches a different first. Agnikul Cosmos, founded by IIT Madras alumni, lifts off Agnibaan SOrTeD (Sub-Orbital Technology Demonstrator) from its own private launch pad at Sriharikota — the first privately built and launched rocket in India. The rocket's main engine is 3D-printed in a single piece.

These two launches — Vikram-S (Nov 2022) and Agnibaan SOrTeD (May 2024) — mark India's transition from a state-monopoly space programme to a hybrid public-private model. The shift was deliberate policy: the Indian Space Policy 2023 opened the sector to private participation, IN-SPACe (2020) became the single-window regulator, NSIL (2019) became ISRO's commercial arm, and FDI was permitted up to 74 % under automatic route.

India's space economy was ~$8 billion in 2023. The government target is $44 billion by 2033 — a 5× growth largely driven by the private ecosystem these reforms enabled.

Why this matters for UPSC

Commercial space + private rocketry is one of the fastest-evolving topics in S&T — new launches, new startups, new policies every quarter. Prelims has asked about specific startups (Skyroot, Agnikul) and policies (IN-SPACe, NSIL) since 2022. Mains GS-III probes the economic + strategic dimensions of the public-private shift. Interview boards test policy literacy.