HYDERABAD, July 17 — The story of India’s private space sector begins, in many ways, with two engineers who once worked at India’s most famous space agency. Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka spent years at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the government agency that put India on the map for low-cost space exploration. In 2018, they left to build their own rocket company: Skyroot Aerospace.
For those involved in the startup’s journey, what unfolded over the next years has been a slow, methodical climb toward a singular goal. Skyroot is headquartered here in Hyderabad, a city that has become a hub for Indian tech and biotech.
The company is the force behind the Vikram-1 rocket, a vehicle designed to carry small satellites into low-Earth orbit. At its heart, the venture is about one thing: making space launch affordable.
From ISRO to the Private Sector
The Indian government opened the space sector to private companies in 2020, a policy shift that unlocked a wave of entrepreneurial energy. Skyroot was among the first startups to seize the opportunity. Chandana and Daka brought with them deep institutional knowledge from ISRO, but they also brought a startup’s hunger to slash costs and move fast.
The company has developed an upper stage called the Kalam-100, a name that carries weight in India. It honors A.P.J.
Abdul Kalam, the former president and aerospace scientist who was a driving force behind India’s missile and space programs. For Chandana and Daka, naming a critical piece of hardware after Kalam is both a tribute and a statement of intent. Skyroot has already conducted successful static fire tests of its engines — a crucial milestone that proves a rocket’s propulsion system can hold up under the extreme heat and pressure of launch.
These tests are the kind of technical validation that investors look for before writing big checks.
The Money Behind the Mission
Funding has come steadily. Skyroot has raised approximately $95 million in total, including a $51 million Series C round in 2023. That round was led by GIC, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund — a significant vote of confidence from one of the world’s most sophisticated state investors.
The capital has gone toward completing the Vikram-1 rocket and scaling up manufacturing. The company targets a price point of under $10 million per launch.
That is a fraction of what larger rockets cost, and it puts Skyroot in direct competition with a growing field of small-launch providers worldwide. The bet is that demand for dedicated small-satellite launches — where a customer gets their own ride, rather than hitching a ride on a larger rocket — will continue to grow.
What Comes Next
Skyroot is not alone in India’s new space race. Several other startups emerged after the 2020 policy opening, all chasing the same opportunity. But Skyroot’s combination of experienced founders, proven engine tests, and a clear pricing strategy has made it one of the most closely watched.
The next big milestone will be the first orbital launch of Vikram-1. If it succeeds, it will mark the first time a private Indian company has put a satellite into orbit.
That would be a moment not just for Skyroot, but for the broader ambition of turning India into a serious player in the commercial space market. For now, the engineers in Hyderabad keep working — running tests, refining designs, and waiting for the day their rocket finally leaves the ground.
