July 23 2026
Sanjana Tripuramallu: The entrepreneur whose lab-grown diamond flew on Skyroot’s Vikram-1, India’s first privately developed rocket to reach orbit
(Jul 23, 2026) When Skyroot Aerospace’s Vikram-1 became India’s first privately developed rocket to successfully reach orbit on July 18, 2026, it carried satellites, scientific instruments and symbolic cultural creations into space. Among them was Cosmic Bloom, a lotus crafted from a lab-grown diamond by entrepreneur Sanjana Tripuramallu’s Cosmos Diamonds, making design and innovation part of a landmark moment in India’s private space journey.
“This wasn’t just about putting a diamond into space. It was about sending a piece of New India, where centuries of craftsmanship meet cutting-edge science, where tradition embraces innovation, and where bold ideas are no longer imagined, but realised,” Sanjana Tripurmallu tells The Global Indian, describing the Skyroot collaboration as the biggest milestone of her entrepreneurial journey.
Among the six payloads, or items carried into space by the rocket, were satellites, scientific instruments and two symbolic creations. One of them was Cosmic Bloom, a lotus created by Cosmos Diamonds, the company founded by entrepreneur and designer Sanjana Tripurmallu. Inspired by the lotus, a symbol of purity and creation in Indian heritage and cosmology, the artwork was crafted in 18K gold and adorned with 32 pear-cut lab-grown diamonds weighing 16.95 carats. Valued at ₹11 lakh, it represented the coming together of Indian craftsmanship, innovation and entrepreneurship aboard one of the country’s most significant private space missions.
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The idea that began with a nursery rhyme
For Sanjana, the idea began with an unexpected conversation.
It all began with a casual conversation with the founder of Skyroot. Someone mentioned the line, ‘Twinkle, twinkle, little star, like a diamond in the sky,’ and that sparked a simple question: ‘Can we actually put a diamond in the sky?’
Sanjana Tripuramallu
What initially sounded like a whimsical idea gradually took on a deeper meaning. Instead of sending a traditional mined diamond, Cosmos chose a lab-grown diamond, which is a real diamond created using advanced technology rather than extracted from the earth. For Sanjana, it represented the future of the jewellery industry, making it a fitting companion to Vikram-1, a rocket that represents a new era for India’s private space sector.
A partnership built on shared belief
For Sanjana, the collaboration between Cosmos Diamonds and Skyroot Aerospace was never conceived as a branding exercise. Instead, it brought together two young Indian startups that had taken similar leaps of faith long before their industries became mainstream.
“It really came down to two like-minded companies finding common ground,” she says. Skyroot Aerospace was founded in 2018 by former ISRO engineers Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka, years before India’s private space sector gathered momentum. The founders believed private companies would one day play a significant role in space exploration and began building rockets even before the ecosystem had fully opened up.
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Cosmos Diamonds started around the same time. “We started with the belief that lab-grown diamonds would shape the future of fine jewellery, even though the category was still in its early stages in India,” Sanjana says. “We chose to invest in something we believed would become the next chapter of the industry.” When Sanjana shared the idea of sending a lab-grown diamond into space, the Skyroot team immediately embraced it.
The Skyroot collaboration is the biggest milestone in my entrepreneurial journey. Watching something we created against the actual backdrop of the cosmos is a vision I’m not going to get over any time soon.
Sanjana Tripuramallu
A business inspired by a personal search
Ironically, the journey that eventually led a diamond into orbit began with something far more grounded. While preparing for her wedding, Sanjana found herself frustrated by how difficult it was to make an informed choice. Information about different types of diamonds was often limited, misconceptions surrounding lab-grown diamonds were widespread, and pricing lacked transparency.
Rather than accepting that experience, she saw an opportunity to build something different. Cosmos Diamonds was founded with a vision of making lab-grown diamond jewellery more accessible while helping consumers make informed choices through greater transparency. It was an ambitious idea at a time when lab-grown diamonds were still relatively unfamiliar to many Indian buyers.
Yet, much like Skyroot’s founders who believed India’s private space industry would eventually take flight, Sanjana chose to invest in what she believed was the future rather than what was already established.
Sanjana Tripuramallu with Pawan Chandana, Co-Founder of Skyroot Aerospace
From design thinking to entrepreneurship
Although Sanjana’s entrepreneurial venture was inspired by a personal experience, the way she approached the business was shaped years earlier.
Raised in Tenali, a town in Andhra Pradesh known as the home of poet Tenali Ramakrishna, she grew up in a family where entrepreneurship was a way of life. Her mother ran a jewellery business, giving Sanjana an early appreciation for craftsmanship and the emotional value jewellery holds for people.
“Watching her create jewellery that meant something to people had a huge influence on me. I think my appreciation for design, craftsmanship and the emotion behind jewellery really came from her.”
Entrepreneurship remained a constant as she grew older. Later, she married an entrepreneur, and conversations at home often revolved around new ideas, building businesses and creating meaningful impact. “I never consciously decided that I wanted to become an entrepreneur because of my family. But when I look back, I realise I was surrounded by people who were always building something. I think that naturally shaped the way I see the world,” Sanjana mentions.
How National Institute of Design and Samsung shaped her journey
That outlook was strengthened during her master’s in Design at the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, where she learnt that design is about understanding people as much as creating product
“Design makes you think deeply. It teaches you to rethink in layers and look for the meaning and reasoning behind something. NID gave me that way of thinking. It’s less about design itself and more about how you start approaching everything in life.”
After graduating, she joined Samsung R&D Institute India, working in research and artificial intelligence. Although the industry was vastly different from jewellery, she believes the experience taught her how to combine technology with human needs.
“My work was around research and AI. The context was different, but the mindset wasn’t.” Looking back, she says every stage of her journey contributed to the entrepreneur she eventually became. “I don’t think I ever planned on becoming an entrepreneur. But when I look back now, everything somehow connects. NID shaped the way I think, and Samsung gave me the confidence to apply that thinking in a structured, real-world environment.”
Changing how India thinks about lab-grown diamonds
For Sanjana, launching Cosmos Diamonds was never just about selling jewellery. It was about helping consumers make better-informed choices.
When the company started, lab-grown diamonds were still unfamiliar to many Indian buyers. Misconceptions were widespread, and convincing customers that they were real diamonds created through advanced technology, not imitation stones, required patience and education. “The biggest hurdle was educating people about lab-grown diamonds. Changing the way people think always takes time,” remarks Sanjana.
Despite the challenge, she remains convinced that the category will continue to grow.
India has always had incredible art, craftsmanship and heritage. We have so many beautiful motifs and stories, but somehow they’re not celebrated enough in contemporary jewellery. I genuinely believe lab-grown diamonds are the future, and I want Cosmos to play a role in making that shift happen.
Sanjana Tripuramallu
She wants traditions to find expression in jewellery that feels relevant to younger generations while remaining rooted in Indian culture. “When you look at brands like Cartier or Bvlgari, they have a design language that’s instantly recognisable. I hope that one day Cosmos builds something like that, not by copying anyone, but by creating a design identity that’s uniquely Indian and timeless.”
For Sanjana, Cosmic Bloom was more than a symbolic payload aboard Vikram-1. It was a glimpse of that larger vision, where Indian design, technology and entrepreneurship come together to create products that resonate far beyond the country’s borders.
From searching for her own wedding jewellery to seeing one of her creations orbit the Earth, entrepreneur Sanjana Tripuramallu’s journey reflects the power of pursuing unconventional ideas. As India’s private space sector reaches new heights, Cosmic Bloom serves as a reminder that innovation is not confined to rockets and laboratories. Sometimes, it begins with a designer asking a simple question: could a Made-in-India lab-grown diamond one day find its place among the stars?
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Written By: Bindu Gopal Rao
