Draft:Pawan Kumar Chandana
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Pawan Kumar Chandana | |
|---|---|
 Chandana in 2026 | |
| Born | 1991 (age 34–35) Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh (present-day Telangana), India |
| Citizenship | India |
| Education | Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (B.Tech, M.Tech, 2007–2012) |
| Occupations | Aerospace engineer, entrepreneur |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Known for | Co-founding Skyroot Aerospace; leading development and launch of Vikram-S and Vikram-1 |
| Title | Co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Skyroot Aerospace |
| Awards | Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia (2020) |
Pawan Kumar Chandana (born 1991) is an Indian aerospace engineer and entrepreneur. He is the co-founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Skyroot Aerospace, a private spaceflight company based in Hyderabad, India.[1][2] A former scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Chandana co-founded Skyroot in 2018 with fellow ISRO engineer Naga Bharath Daka.[3] Under his leadership, Skyroot developed and launched Vikram-S in November 2022, India's first privately developed rocket to reach space, and Vikram-1 in July 2026, India's first privately developed rocket to reach orbit.[1][4][5][6]
He was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list in 2020.[7][3]
Early life and education
[edit]Chandana was born in 1991 in Hyderabad.[8] He holds a Bachelor of Technology in mechanical engineering and a Master of Technology in thermal science and engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, where he studied from 2007 to 2012.[9][8]
Career
[edit]ISRO
[edit]Chandana joined ISRO in 2012 after graduating from IIT Kharagpur. Over nearly six years at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram, he worked on the GSLV Mk III, India's heaviest launch vehicle, and the S-200 solid rocket booster used on the GSLV Mk II, later becoming deputy project manager for the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle.[8][10] He received an internal ISRO innovation award in 2016.[8] He left ISRO in 2018.[8][10]
Skyroot Aerospace
[edit]Chandana co-founded Skyroot Aerospace in Hyderabad in June 2018 with Naga Bharath Daka, another former ISRO engineer.[3] He serves as co-founder, chief executive officer and chief technology officer of the company, while Daka serves as co-founder and chief operating officer.[3] Early investors in the company included Mukesh Bansal, founder of Myntra, who along with Solar Industries and other investors participated in Skyroot's early funding rounds.[3]
In July 2020, Skyroot test-fired the Raman-1 hypergolic liquid engine, becoming the first privately held company in India to test-fire a rocket engine.[11] Chandana said the company's existing funding would cover most testing costs as it worked toward a technology-demonstration launch.[11]
Under Chandana, Skyroot developed the Kalam series of solid rocket motors, the Raman series of hypergolic liquid engines, and the Dhawan series of cryogenic engines, named respectively after Indian scientists A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, C. V. Raman and Satish Dhawan.[12] In September 2021, Skyroot became the first private company to sign a memorandum of understanding with ISRO, granting it access to ISRO facilities and expertise.[9]
On 18 November 2022, Skyroot launched Vikram-S under Mission Prarambh from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, becoming the first privately developed Indian rocket to reach space.[6][13] The single-stage solid-fuel suborbital rocket carried three payloads and, according to Skyroot, reached an apogee of about 88.8 kilometres.[13]
In March 2024, Skyroot test-fired the Kalam-250 motor, the second stage of Vikram-1, at Sriharikota. Chandana described it as the largest propulsion system designed and manufactured by the Indian private sector at the time, and the first carbon-composite motor tested at an ISRO facility.[14]
In November 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Skyroot's Infinity Campus rocket manufacturing facility in Hyderabad via video conference, where the company also unveiled the flight-ready Vikram-1 rocket.[15]
On 18 July 2026, Skyroot launched Vikram-1 under Mission Aagaman, reaching low Earth orbit at an altitude of approximately 450 kilometres and making Skyroot the first Indian private company, and the third company globally, to reach orbit.[1][2] Following the launch, Chandana and Daka received a congratulatory call from Prime Minister Modi.[2] Chandana said, "this is a historic moment not just for Skyroot but also for India and the entire global space sector."[2]
As of December 2025, Chandana said Skyroot was also developing a reusable launch vehicle, describing the project as being "far beyond the ideation stage."[10] Following the Vikram-1 launch, Chandana said Skyroot planned to begin commercial launch operations in 2027, targeting a cadence of one flight per month.[16]
Funding
[edit]Skyroot raised a $1.5 million seed round from Mukesh Bansal in 2018.[8] This was followed by an $11 million Series A round in May 2021 led by Greenko Group promoters Anil Chalamalasetty and Mahesh Kolli,[9] a $4.5 million bridge round in January 2022 led by Ram Shriram's Sherpalo Ventures,[9] and a $51 million Series B round in September 2022 led by GIC of Singapore.[17] A $27.5 million pre-Series C round led by Temasek followed in October 2023.[18] In May 2026, Skyroot raised approximately $60 million in a round led by Sherpalo Ventures and GIC, becoming India's first space-technology unicorn at a valuation of $1.1 billion.[19]
Recognition
[edit]Chandana was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list in the Healthcare & Science category in 2020.[7][3]
Personal life
[edit]Chandana has described his motivation for founding Skyroot as making spaceflight "as regular, reliable and affordable as air travel."[9] He has said: "I believe rockets are the most fascinating machinery ever built by humans, and are now in need of a new techno-economic makeover to open up a new frontier in space access and exploration."[9]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c "India's Skyroot launches Vikram-1 in first private orbital rocket mission". CNBC (Reuters). 18 July 2026. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ^ a b c d "Skyroot Aerospace reaches orbit on first Vikram-1 launch". SpaceNews. 18 July 2026. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ^ a b c d e f "Pawan Chandana". Forbes. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ^ "India achieves milestone with launch of first private-sector orbital rocket". Al Jazeera. 18 July 2026. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ^ "'The dawn of a new space era': Vikram-1, India's 1st private orbital rocket, aces debut launch". Space.com. 18 July 2026. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ^ a b "Mission Prarambh: India's first private rocket Vikram-S lifts off from Sriharikota". Deccan Herald. 18 November 2022. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ^ a b "Meet the five Hyderabad-based entrepreneurs on Forbes 30 under 30 Asia 2020 list". The News Minute. 2020. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ^ a b c d e f "Pawan Chandana: The IIT Graduate Who Left ISRO to Build India's First Private Orbital Rocket". Outlook Business. 18 July 2026. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ^ a b c d e f "Pawan Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka: The ex-ISRO scientists behind India's Vikram-1 launch". The Tribune. 19 July 2026. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ^ a b c "How startups are battling the odds to launch a new space tech age for India". Forbes India. 23 December 2025. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ^ a b "India's first private space launch startup Skyroot succeeds with upper-stage engine fire test". TechCrunch. 13 July 2020. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ^ "Indian startup Skyroot successfully tests Kalam-100 engine on Vikram-1 launch vehicle". India Today. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ^ a b "Mission Prarambh". Skyroot Aerospace. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ^ "Skyroot successfully test fires Stage-2 of Vikram-1". The Hindu. 28 March 2024. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ^ "PM inaugurates Skyroot's Infinity Campus in Hyderabad via video conferencing". Press Information Bureau, Government of India. 27 November 2025. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ^ "Skyroot rocket puts India alongside U.S., China in private orbital launch". CNBC. 23 July 2026. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ^ "Skyroot Aerospace Raises $51 Million Led by GIC to Propel the New Future of Small Satellite Launches". Business Wire. 5 September 2022. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ^ "Space-tech company Skyroot raises $27.5 mn in funding round led by Temasek". Business Standard. 30 October 2023. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
- ^ "Skyroot Aerospace raises $60 mn, becomes a unicorn valued at $1.1 bn". Business Standard. 7 May 2026. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
External links
[edit]
Category:1991 births
Category:Living people
Category:Indian aerospace engineers
Category:Indian chief executives
Category:Indian company founders
Category:IIT Kharagpur alumni
Category:Businesspeople from Hyderabad, India
Category:Scientists from Hyderabad, India