SSC has signed a launcher tracking service agreement with India’s Skyroot Aerospace to provide ground station tracking services for the latter’s Vikram-1 launch vehicle, marking another milestone in SSC’s efforts to support the flourishing New Space industry. This follows a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) previously signed by SSC and Skyroot on utilizing the launch facilities at Esrange Space Center in Sweden and SSC Connect global ground station services.
The agreement enables Skyroot to utilize SSC’s expertise and ground station infrastructure for the commercial launches of its orbital-class launch vehicle, Vikram-1, in 2025. SSC will support the launches from its ground station at the Western Australia Space Center (WASC) near Perth. Founded in Hyderabad in 2018, Skyroot launched India’s first private rocket in 2022.
“Vikram-1 offers a customized and on-demand launch service to meet the growing needs of small satellite operators. Our partnership with SSC, a reliable launcher tracking and telemetry service provider, enhances our ability to serve diverse customer requirements worldwide, and strengthens our ability to execute multiple launches beginning next year,” said Sireesh Pallikonda, VP – Business Development & Launch Services, Skyroot Aerospace.
“The agreement heralds a promising collaboration between SSC and Skyroot, and bridges the burgeoning commercial space sectors of India and Sweden. Skyroot’s customers will have access to SSC’s global network of ground stations for LEOP, telemetry services or payload downlink services” said Fredrik Gisle, Head of Asia-Pacific and Africa – SSC Connect. “In the long term, we are optimistic that this partnership will encourage Indian launch providers to utilize the Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden, the first spaceport on EU mainland. Our versatile spaceport infrastructure, extensive launch experience, and global ground station network position us well for future collaborations”.
Buoyed by the global acclaim garnered by the success of the Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 lunar scientific mission – a mission also supported by SSC – India’s private space sector is rapidly establishing advanced capabilities to leverage the expanding global space economy. With a long-standing space partnership between Sweden and India, SSC is well-positioned to support and benefit from this growth.
In picture (left to right): Ashwin Mahawadi, Senior VP Business Development, Skyroot Aerospace; Sireesh Pallikonda, VP Business Development and Launch Services, Skyroot; Fredrik Gisle, Head of Market Region APAC, SSC Connect, SSC; Patrik Melvås, Head of Business Development, SSC Connect, SSC.
Media contacts
SSC: Philip Ohlsson, Head of PR & Press, +46 (0)70 721 70 26, philip.ohlsson@sscspace.com
Skyroot Aerospace: press@skyroot.in
