Pawan Kumar Chandana is “opening space for all” – by Ritwaj Ranjan, Space News Contributor – India, Interplanetary.tv – Photo credit: TedX – Video credit: Sparx by Mukesh Bansal – (Mukesh Bansal interviews Pawan Chandana on 6 August 2023 on the journey in “Building India’s First Private Space Company” ) India’s space ambitions are soaring — and one of the leading figuresleading this new wave of innovators is Pawan Kumar Chandana, the Co-Founder, CEO, and CTO of Skyroot Aerospace. A former ISRO scientist and an IIT Kharagpur alumnus, Chandana is among the brightest minds reshaping the country’s position in the global space race. With his vision, India has witnessed the successful launch of its first privately built rocket — a landmark achievement that is just the beginning.

Early Inspiration: From Dreams to Design.

Born in 1991 in Hyderabad, Pawan’s journey began with a childhood fascination for rockets and outer space. That curiosity matured into ambition as he pursued Mechanical and Thermal Engineering at the prestigious IIT Kharagpur. Unlike many peers drawn to corporate careers or opportunities abroad, he chose to serve the nation’s space program by joining ISRO — a decision rooted in passion rather than prestige.

The ISRO Years: Groundwork for Greatness.

Pawan spent six formative years at ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, contributing to several key national missions. He worked on projects like GSLV Mk-III, SSLV, and the S200 solid booster — gaining hands-on experience in rocket propulsion, structural dynamics, and vibration isolation. His work earned internal innovation awards and, more importantly, deep technical insights that would later power his entrepreneurial leap.

Skyroot Aerospace’s Story: “Open Space for All”

In 2018, driven by a dream to make space more accessible, Pawan co-founded Skyroot Aerospace with fellow ISRO scientist Naga Bharath Daka. The startup, based in Hyderabad, was India’s answer to SpaceX — a private player focused on building cost-efficient, reliable launch vehicles for small satellite deployment. With the motto “Open Space for All,” Skyroot set out to democratize space exploration.

Skyroot Aerospace, founded in 2018, is an Indian space start-up that has raised US$4.3 million to develop its first launch vehicle, the ‘Vikram 1’. The company has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Dhruva Space and signed a non-disclosure agreement with ISRO to access ISRO’s facilities and technical expertise. Skyroot has also partnered with Bellatrix Aerospace and won the Aegis Graham Bell Award for Jury choice in the innovation category. The company has raised $11 million in Series A funding and has been ranked 7th on LinkedIn’s 2021 Top Startups List in India. In 2022, Skyroot Aerospace announced a new identity and won a National Award at the National Technology Day 2022. The company has also raised $27.5 million in a pre-Series C funding round.

The indian space start-up started developing its first launch vehicle, the ‘Vikram 1’, set to launch around mid-2025. The company raised US$4.3 million, including from Solar Industries, and has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Dhruva Space, an Indian private satellite manufacturer.

In February 2021, Skyroot Aerospace signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with ISRO, allowing them access to ISRO’s facilities and technical expertise for their launch vehicles.

In March 2021, Skyroot Aerospace won the Aegis Graham Bell Award for Jury choice award under innovation category for the year 2020.

On May 20, 2021, Skyroot Aerospace raised $11 million in a Series A funding round led by promoters of renewable energy firm Greenko Group, with participation from Solar Industries, former WhatsApp Chief Business Office (CBO) Neeraj Arora, Mukesh Bansal founder of Myntra & Curefit, Worldquant Ventures, Graph Ventures, Sutton Capital, Vedanshu Investments, and other angels.

The Department of Space signed an agreement with Skyroot Aerospace for providing it access to ISRO’s facilities and expertise for testing sub-systems and systems of launch vehicles. This marked the first Indian startup to formally enter into an agreement with ISRO for using its assets since the announcement of the new policy decision of the Government of India in May 2020.

In September 2021, Skyroot Aerospace was ranked 7th on LinkedIn’s 2021 Top Startups List in India.

On January 27, 2022, Skyroot Aerospace raised $4.5 million in a bridge round to Series B funding led by Google’s founding board member Ram Shriram’s Sherpalo Ventures. This fresh investment round brought the total capital raised by the startup to around $17 million, making it the largest raised by an Indian space start-up as of January 2022.

On May 10, 2022, Skyroot Aerospace announced their new identity, reflecting their ambition to reach the stars with a goal of ‘Opening Space for all’. Their logo crystallizes the acronym ‘SR’ of SKYROOT into a rocket-plane, while the sharp edges represent their “cutting-edge tech.”

On May 11, 2022, Skyroot Aerospace received a National Award at the National Technology Day 2022 for Cryogenic, Liquid, and Solid Propulsion Technologies catering to the needs of small satellite launch vehicle markets.

On November 18, 2022, Skyroot Aerospace performed the maiden launch of its ‘Vikram S’ suborbital rocket, becoming the first Indian private company to reach outer space. In October 2023, the company raised $27.5 million in a pre-Series C funding round led by Temasek Holdings, bringing the total amount raised since its inception to about $95 million.

Making History: The Vikram-S Launch.

Skyroot’s breakthrough came in November 2022 with the launch of Vikram-S, India’s first privately developed rocket. The suborbital flight marked a new chapter in Indian aerospace, reaching a peak altitude of 89.5 km at speeds above Mach 5. It was a powerful proof of concept — validating Skyroot’s in-house avionics, lightweight carbon-composite bodies, and solid propulsion systems.

Engineering Innovation at Its Core.

Under Pawan’s leadership, Skyroot has developed:

*3D-printed engines for faster production cycles

*Cryogenic engines powered by LNG and LOX

*Modular rocket stages to accelerate launch readiness

*All-composite structures for lightweight, high-performance rockets

The company is now gearing up for its next milestone — the Vikram-I orbital launch, aiming to carry payloads up to 225 kg into low-Earth orbit.

Leading the Next Generation of Space Entrepreneurs.

In January 2025, the Telangana Government signed an agreement with Skyroot Aerospace to establish an integrated private rocket manufacturing, integration, and testing facility in Telangana with an estimated investment of INR 500 Crores.

Skyroot is now a team of over 350 engineers, technologists, and space enthusiasts. Pawan leads not just as a technologist, but as a visionary. He champions policy reforms to strengthen India’s private space ecosystem and often speaks at national and international forums, encouraging youth to pursue careers in space technology.

His leadership style blends precision with passion — and his mantra, “Space is hard, so you have to go harder,” reflects both the challenges of the field and his relentless drive to overcome them.

A Legacy Taking Flight.

Pawan Kumar Chandana’s journey is emblematic of a changing India — bold, innovative, and ready to lead. As Skyroot prepares for future launches, Chandana is doing more than building rockets; he’s inspiring a nation to dream beyond the skies. His story is not just about personal success, but about building a new era for Indian space exploration — one private rocket at a time.

— Ritwaj Ranjan.

About the Author.

Ritwaj Ranjan is a full-stack web and mobile applications software engineer from Bangalore, India, and, space news contributor to Interplanetary Television. With a strong foundation in frontend and backend development technologies, he has worked at Othor.ai and Bhopal. He has designed and deployed over 20 user-centric interfaces with React.js, resulting in a 30% increase in customer satisfaction scores. Ranjan has also led a team in website development, resulting in a 40% increase in client customization efficiency.