Pawan Kumar Chandana, the co-founder and chief executive of Skyroot Aerospace, represents a new generation of Indian space entrepreneurs whose careers began not in the private sector but within the country’s long-established government space agency. Born in Hyderabad in 1990, Chandana earned a degree in aerospace engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur in 2012. That same year, he joined the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), where he remained until 2018.
During his six-year tenure, Chandana contributed to the design of the GSLV Mk III launch vehicle and worked on the Chandrayaan-2 lunar mission. His experience inside ISRO provided technical grounding that he would later apply to a far more uncertain venture: building a private rocket company from scratch.
From ISRO Engineer to Startup Founder
Chandana’s decision to leave government service came in 2018, when he co-founded Skyroot Aerospace alongside Naga Bharath Daka. The company set out to address the emerging market for small satellite launches, a sector that was just beginning to open in India after the government permitted private players to engage in space activities.
The timing proved strategic. Skyroot began with a small team of ten people. The company’s flagship vehicle, the Vikram-1 rocket, is designed to carry payloads into orbit for commercial customers.
Under Chandana’s leadership, Skyroot raised approximately $95 million in funding, a substantial sum for an Indian space startup. In 2024, the World Economic Forum recognized Chandana as a Young Global Leader, an honor that identifies individuals under 40 who are helping shape the future.
Despite those milestones, Skyroot has not yet launched its first orbital mission. The Vikram-1 rocket remains in development. The company continues to work toward its debut orbital launch, operating with tens of millions of dollars in investment but without a proven track record of reliably delivering satellites to space. The coming years will determine whether Chandana can translate his ISRO experience into a sustainable private business.
Navigating India’s New Space Landscape
Skyroot Aerospace is part of a broader shift in India’s approach to space. The company is a private aerospace manufacturer and commercial launch service provider focused on the global small-satellite market. Its growth occurred during a period of increased government support for private space activities.
In 2020, India enacted reforms that allowed private companies to use certain government facilities. A new regulatory framework was created under the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), which manages private sector access to state-owned infrastructure.
Skyroot’s early development emphasized reducing production times and costs through the use of 3D printing and carbon-composite structures. These techniques reflect a broader industry trend toward efficiency and rapid iteration. In 2022, Skyroot achieved a notable milestone by becoming the first private Indian company to launch a suborbital rocket.
That mission used government infrastructure at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre to reach a high altitude, demonstrating that private firms could operate within the national space ecosystem. The company’s progress signals a structural change in how India accesses space.
Private firms are moving from initial government incubation to building their own manufacturing and testing facilities. Success in this sector could mean more competition and lower costs for deploying satellites, both for Indian customers and for international clients seeking affordable launch options. Chandana, now steering a company with substantial funding but no orbital flights yet completed, remains a central figure in this transition.
His path from ISRO engineer to entrepreneur mirrors the larger story of India’s space sector evolving from a government monopoly to a landscape that includes private risk-taking and commercial ambition.
