Hyderabad-based space startup Spantrik successfully test-flights its spacecraft Hopstone

Hyderabad-based aerospace startup Spantrik has successfully conducted a test flight of its vertical take-off and vertical-landing (VTVL) vehicle, Hopstone, near Hyderabad. The low-altitude test validated critical flight systems — including avionics, thrust-vector control (TVC), and guidance-navigation-control (GNC) — under real conditions, marking a major milestone for the company. 

The Hopstone is a small scale test vehicle, meant not for orbit but to validate rocket flight control and landing systems safely before scaling up. With this success, Spantrik is now preparing for its next demonstrator, Leapfrogger, which will further test autonomous VTVL capabilities. 

Spantrik’s long-term goal remains ambitious: to build a fully reusable rocket named Raven, aimed at making satellite launches more affordable and accessible. 

This success places Spantrik among the handful of Indian startups pushing the frontier of private-sector space innovation — a strong sign that India’s private space industry is moving forward.