July 30 2026
On Cloud Nine: With Vikram-1 in orbit, Skyroot CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana is already preparing for his next space mission
Post July 18, 2026, life for Pawan Kumar Chandana has been overwhelming — in the best possible way — as he likes to describe it.
Working endlessly for the last several years, spending sleepless nights, sometimes even getting cranky, while chasing a dream what many believed was impossible — his mission was finally accomplished.
The CEO of Skyroot Aerospace, along with his dedicated team — made history when their Vikram-1 launch vehicle became the first privately developed Indian rocket to successfully reach orbit. “I am sleeping a little better knowing Vikram-1 is in orbit, but the next mission is already calling. A short break with family would be nice, but it’ll have to wait,” smiles Pawan, in an exclusive conversation with The Global Indian.
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The rocket soared into the sky from the Indian Space Research Organisation’s launch facility at Sriharikota. In just 16 minutes, it reached Low Earth Orbit, making Skyroot the first Indian private company to achieve an orbital rocket launch. The success placed India in an exclusive club with the United States and China, the only other countries where private companies have independently sent rockets into orbit.
So what was the launch day like?
“Launch day started early with the team. It was calm but intense, with the usual last-minute reviews and checks,” recalls Pawan. Behind those unforgettable minutes lay countless simulations, design reviews, engine tests among other technical aspects.
Of course, he remarks, every engineer knows things can go wrong—that’s the nature of space. “But once the countdown begins, you trust the thousands of hours of work put in by the team.”
He says years of hard work, uncertainty and belief came together in those few minutes. “By launch day, however, fear had given way to faith. We were mentally ready for every possible outcome,” says the CEO, adding that “what could go wrong?” was a thought that constantly lingered in his mind.
Disbelief
He says even after Vikram-1 reached orbit, the enormity of the achievement didn’t register immediately. For the first few hours, Team Skyroot was in a state of disbelief, and relieved that it was finally over and the result was known.
Pawan Kumar Chandana
“It wasn’t until that night that the sheer significance of what we had achieved truly sank in. That’s when the emotions finally kicked in,” says Pawan, of that moment which is forever etched in his memory. “We knew we had given it everything,” says Pawan, who leads Skyroot’s vision, strategy, technology and business growth.
The gamble
Pawan says the biggest gamble was launching real customer satellites and payloads on their very first mission. Most maiden rocket launches don’t take that risk and carry dummy payloads.
Every challenge feels bigger when you’re trying to build something that has never been done before, we believed in our preparation and demonstrated that confidence.
Pawan Kumar Chandana
‘Back to work’
He says ever since the successful launch, love and support from all quarters have been incredible. “But fundamentally, nothing has changed. We’re back to work,” he declares. Sharing details of the road ahead, Pawan says his focus is on making Vikram-1 a reliable, commercially successful launch vehicle and increasing launch cadence.
Pawan Kumar Chandana
International collaborations coming up
“At the same time, we are building the next generation of launch systems and expanding globally. There are exciting international collaborations in the pipeline, and we’ll share more at the right time.”
Five years from now, Pawan hopes international customers see Indian launch vehicles as platforms they can always trust and rely on. “That’s the reputation we want to build for India’s private space ecosystem,” says the Rocket Scientist, whose dream is to build large reusable rockets that opens the space for everyone.
Friends for Life
It was at ISRO that Pawan met Naga Bharath Daka, then his colleague, who would be the Co-founder of Skyroot. Both had joined ISRO together in 2012. “We have been close friends for almost 14 years. Back then, we were flatmates as well.”
The route to Skyroot
Both IIT graduates, they left secure government careers in 2018 to co-found Skyroot Aerospace in Hyderabad, when India’s private space sector was still in its infancy.
Skyroot Aerospace Founders Naga Bharath Daka and Pawan Kumar Chandana
“Our relationship, intellectual synergy and complementary skill sets have been one of the key success factors behind Skyroot,” says Pawan, pointing out that building Skyroot has been a shared journey, not just for the two of them, but also for their families as well.
Like most startup’s, Skyroot also faced moments when its future seemed uncertain. “Many nights I wondered whether Skyroot would survive.”
Pushing through challenges
One of their biggest challenges came during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic. “Our planned Series A fundraise was delayed and we had barely four months of runway left. ”However, they did not lose hope. Fortunately, a few entrepreneurs came forward to back them just in time.
Team Skyroot kept pushing through every challenge until we crossed what always felt like a moving finish line.
Pawan Kumar Chandana
What failures taught Pawan
Pawan says one of the key lessons failures have taught him during his journey is resilience, which he says is a competitive advantage. “In space, setbacks are inevitable. Every failure carries valuable lessons, and if you learn quickly and keep moving, it becomes part of your success story.”
Skyroot Aerospace Founders Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka
Is the Skyroot CEO a spiritual person? “I am not much of a spiritual person but I believe in staying grounded, while knowing that engineering is built on preparation and data,” says Pawan.
Curiosity and desire to solve problems
Born in Hyderabad, Pawan grew up in a middle class family with a natural curiosity for machines. “I was always fascinated by how things worked and loved building and experimenting,” he recalls.
As a school student, he once scored just 51 marks in mathematics. “Space wasn’t an obvious dream back then, but curiosity and the desire to solve hard problems were always there,” says Pawan, who enrolled in IIT JEE coaching. It was around that time that he fell in love with math and science. He always wanted to become an entrepreneur.
The impact entrepreneurs create, in terms of generating employment, advancing technology and building institutions always inspired me.
Pawan Kumar
Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka with PM Modi after their successful mission
Where ambition met engineering
In 2007, Pawan joined IIT Kharagpur after clearing the exam in his first attempt and proceeded to earn a dual BTech-MTech degree in mechanical engineering. His ambition of becoming an entrepreneur only grew stronger as the startup culture was fast catching up in the campus.
“But I hadn’t yet hit the right idea (for the startup),” says Pawan, whose passion for technology and core engineering led him to ISRO as a scientist where he specialised in launch vehicle propulsion.
Giving back
Does Pawan believe in giving back to the society? “Absolutely. The biggest impact I hope to create is inspiring young Indians to dream bigger and pursue science, engineering, and entrepreneurship.”
He says if a youngster from any small Indian town walks into Skyroot tomorrow, the only criteria that will lead them in would be the curiosity to learn and a passion for solving complex problems. “That’s the philosophy on which Skyroot was built.” Over time, says Pawan, he would also like to contribute more towards STEM education and supporting deep-tech innovation.
Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka
Life beyond rockets
Pawan’s super busy schedule hardly leaves him with any time but he does squeeze out a little bit to spend quality time with his family and travel whenever he can.
“This journey would not have been possible without my family’s support,” says the CEO, who deeply values all the sacrifices his family made while he was spending long hours at work building a rocket company. “Though I don’t get much free time, I try to stay active and keep learning every day,” signs off Pawan.
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Written By: Global Indian