Skyroot Aerospace co-founder and CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana has revealed the dramatic moment when a simple troubleshooting step saved India's historic private rocket launch. Speaking at the Network18 Rising Bharat Summit in Bengaluru, Chandana described how the issue that delayed Skyroot's maiden launch was ultimately resolved with the most basic troubleshooting step. "Like in India, if something doesn't work, what we do is switch off, switch on. We just did that," Chandana explained, adding that the issue was sorted the moment the system restarted. The successful mission made India the third country to launch a private rocket into space, marking a milestone for the country's commercial space ambitions.
Skyroot Aerospace co-founder and CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana has shared an emotional account of his academic struggles and personal journey that led to India's historic space milestone. In a heartfelt post on X, Chandana revealed how his father's unwavering support helped him overcome significant setbacks to become the leader of India's first privately developed orbital rocket mission. "As everything slowly begins to sink in, and after finally getting some sleep last night, I wanted to share a small personal note," he posted on X. "The first call I made after Vikram-1 successfully reached orbit was to my Dad. He is the man who made my journey possible — with dreams for me far bigger than the ones I had for myself, and by simply never giving up on me," Chandana wrote, reflecting on the emotional phone call he made to his father moments after the mission's success.
Chandana's journey from academic struggles to space leadership began with significant challenges in his formative years. As he revealed on X, "Until my 8th standard, I was a bad student." His initial struggles included scoring only 51 marks in Mathematics during his school years and failing another subject. However, his father's determination to help him succeed led to a dramatic transformation. "Back then, I could never have imagined that I would one day make it to an IIT, or have the privilege of contributing to India's first privately developed rocket reaching orbit," Chandana wrote. His father enrolled him in IIT-JEE coaching classes, helping him overcome his fear of Mathematics through rigorous preparation. Through this support, Chandana cleared the highly competitive IIT-JEE examination on his first attempt, setting the foundation for his engineering career.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted Skyroot Aerospace during his address at the inaugural sitting of the Monsoon Session of Parliament on Monday. According to reports from NDTV Profit, PM Modi pointed to the Hyderabad-based space startup as an example of progress made by India's private space industry. "India's youth have embarked on a new journey into space. I was told that the average age of the entire team working at the 'Skyroot' startup is merely 28 years. Young people like these have accomplished this feat," PM Modi stated during his speech. The Prime Minister also mentioned Skyroot Aerospace's achievements as an example of the strength of India's startup ecosystem, while urging the Opposition to ensure the smooth conduct of the Monsoon Session.
PM Modi's recognition came as Skyroot Aerospace recently achieved a significant milestone for India's private space sector. The startup's Vikram-1 launch vehicle became the first privately developed Indian rocket to attempt an orbital mission, marking a major milestone for India's private space sector. Chandana noted that unlike most inaugural launches that carry dummy payloads, the company flew a customer's satellite. "The client chose Skyroot despite having previously lost a satellite in another private rocket launch and facing reservations from its own board," he explained. Looking ahead, Chandana said the commercial space industry is entering a new phase, driven by satellite communications and falling launch costs. He predicted that high-speed internet on flights should become commonplace by 2026, while space-based data centres could see prototypes within two to three years and become a common reality over the next five years.
The Hyderabad-based space startup expressed gratitude for the Prime Minister's recognition through a post on X. Skyroot Aerospace noted that it was honoured to be recognised by PM Modi, who mentioned the company's young workforce during his parliamentary address. "Honoured to see the spotlight on the Skyroot team in the Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi's address during today's inaugural Monsoon Session of Parliament," the company posted on X. The startup emphasized that PM Modi's mention of their team's average age of just 28 years served as a powerful reminder of what young Indian engineers can achieve when ambition meets opportunity. Chandana's personal journey adds emotional depth to the company's recognition, demonstrating how individual determination and support systems can transform academic struggles into historic space achievements.
