HYDERABAD — Skyroot Aerospace on Tuesday detailed plans to advance its larger Vikram-2 launch vehicle, days after the successful maiden flight of Vikram-1 positioned the startup as a leading player in India's commercial small-satellite market.

The Hyderabad-based company, backed by investors including GIC and Temasek, said the Vikram-1 flight validated key propulsion and staging technologies that will carry over to heavier variants. Co-founders Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka said the firm aims to capture a share of the growing global demand for dedicated small-satellite launches.

The development comes as India's space regulator, IN-SPACe, and the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre continue to open the sector to private firms following reforms that ended the government monopoly on launches. Skyroot competes domestically with Agnikul Cosmos, which is developing its own Agnibaan rocket.

An editorial in Indian media described the Vikram-1 launch as a "watershed moment for the space industry," reflecting confidence that private Indian firms can supply cost-competitive access to low Earth orbit. Analysts have noted that dedicated small-launch capacity remains scarce globally, giving new entrants a market opening.

Skyroot intends to build a family of Vikram vehicles capable of lifting payloads ranging from hundreds of kilograms to more than a tonne, targeting commercial constellations and government contracts.