Skyroot: Building India’s First Private Rockets with Pawan Chandana

Lena: Imagine you’re 28 years old, you’ve got a secure job at a top tier government space agency, and you decide to just walk away to build rockets. Not just any rockets—orbital class vehicles designed to compete with the giants of the world. That’s the story of Pawan Chandana, the co-founder of Skyroot Aerospace, and honestly, Miles, it sounds like something straight out of a movie .

Miles: It really does. And the wild part is that when Pawan started Skyroot in 2018, there wasn’t even a private space policy in India . He was betting his entire career on a regulatory framework that didn’t exist yet. He told himself he was ready to give up ten years of his life, achieve absolutely nothing, and still fail, just for the chance to build the toughest machines humans have ever conceived .

Lena: That kind of risk appetite is rare, especially when you consider he didn't even know what equity was when he started pitching . He was a pure engineer—an IIT Kharagpur graduate—who looked at a rocket and saw the ultimate engineering challenge: something that can defy gravity and "magically" go to space .

Miles: And that’s why we’re talking about this today. Because whether you’re interested in the "final frontier" or you're trying to figure out how to build a deep tech startup from scratch, Pawan’s journey offers a masterclass in first principles thinking. He’s moved Skyroot from a two-person idea to India’s first space tech unicorn, valued at $1.1 billion, in less than eight years .

Lena: We’re going to break down how they’re using carbon fiber and 3D printing to disrupt an industry that usually takes decades to move. We’ll look at why Pawan calls his business the "Uber for space" and why he believes space is the "steel" of the future civilization .

Miles: It’s a pretty incredible map. We’ll start with the sheer difficulty of rocket science—the "zillion things that can go wrong"—and move into the unique economics of the Indian ecosystem that allows Skyroot to be so much more frugal than its Western counterparts . So, let’s get into why building a rocket is actually the ultimate "math puzzle" for an entrepreneur .

Lena: We often use the phrase "it's not rocket science" to describe something easy, but Pawan points out that for him, the idiom is the literal truth. He views a rocket as the most challenging machine ever built by humans . Why is it so much harder than, say, building a high performance car or a jet?

Miles: Think about the environment. An aircraft flies at ten kilometers, but a rocket has to punch through the atmosphere and enter a vacuum . Pawan explains that literally a "zillion things" can go wrong. You’re dealing with extreme vibrations, massive temperature swings, and the need for zero error. He describes it as a different rigor of engineering entirely .

Lena: He mentioned that even the most trivial things can lead to a total loss. A single connector snapping off, a tiny bit of arcing in a battery, or one bolt failing out of thousands . It’s not usually the big, complex systems that fail—it’s the "boring" parts that weren’t manufactured to the right quality .

Miles: That’s why his approach is rooted in paranoia. In a rocket launch, failure is always an option, and for many, it's the most likely outcome for a first attempt. Even SpaceX famously failed three times before their fourth flight succeeded . Pawan’s philosophy is to "imagine all the failure modes" at the design stage. You have to think about how a component might fail because of the material properties, the specific supplier, or even the coating on the metal .

Lena: And you can't exactly "test drive" an orbital launch in the same way you test a car. You can’t perfectly simulate a vacuum or the exact flight environment on the ground . You rely on simulations, but eventually, you just have to light the candle and see what happens. That’s what makes the upcoming launch of Vikram 1 so high stakes—it’s the first time all these thousands of Indian-made parts have to work together in the ultimate "stress test" .

Miles: It’s also about the sheer energy required. To get a satellite that weighs less than 500 kilograms into orbit, you need a rocket the height of a seven-story building . Most of that size is just the fuel and the structure needed to fight Earth’s gravity. If you don’t get the math perfect, you’re just building a very expensive firework.

Lena: It’s fascinating how he views this as a "math puzzle." He doesn't see it as an impossible dream, but as a series of fundamental problems to be solved one by one . And that leads us to the technical innovations Skyroot is using to make these massive machines lighter and more efficient.

Miles: To solve that "gravity problem," you have to be obsessed with weight. Pawan’s big technical bet was building the Vikram 1 rocket entirely with carbon fiber composites . If you think about regular steel, carbon fiber is about twenty times lighter for the same volume. Even compared to the high strength steels used in traditional rockets, carbon fiber is still five times lighter .

Lena: That’s a huge advantage. It’s like the difference between trying to win a marathon wearing lead boots versus high tech running shoes. But he mentioned that many experts told him it would take a decade just to master that technology in India . Why is it so hard to work with?

Miles: It’s a very steep learning curve. It’s not just about the material; it’s about how you manufacture large, reliable structures that can handle the intense pressure of a launch. Most of the industry still sticks to conventional metals because they’re "known quantities" . But Skyroot decided to be pioneers here. They spent the time on the fundamental engineering to crack it, and now their entire orbital rocket is built with these composites .

Lena: And they’re pairing that with 3D printing for the engines. This isn’t the kind of 3D printing you see in a hobbyist’s basement; it’s high precision aerospace manufacturing . It allows them to create complex engine parts as single units, reducing the number of joints and potential failure points.

Miles: Exactly. It’s about speed and iteration. They built their first suborbital rocket, the Vikram S, in just two years from design to launch—a record time globally . That pace is only possible if you’re using these modern manufacturing techniques. You aren't waiting months for custom forged parts; you're printing and testing.

Lena: What’s also impressive is that this isn’t just "imported" tech. Pawan is very clear: 100% of the rocket is designed and manufactured in India . They’re sourcing from 400 different Indian suppliers for the upcoming launch . It’s a complete ecosystem play, which is a big shift from how things used to be.

Miles: It really shows the power of "leapfrogging." Instead of following the 1960s blueprint of using heavy metals and manual assembly, they jumped straight to the most advanced materials and processes available today. It’s risky, but it’s the only way a startup can out-compete established players who have billions of dollars in "old" infrastructure.

Lena: Let's talk about the business model, because Pawan uses a great analogy here. He calls Skyroot the "cab-to-space" model . In the past, if you wanted to launch a satellite, you had to wait for a "train"—a massive rocket that carries dozens of satellites to a pre-set destination. But what if you need to go somewhere specific?

Miles: That’s the core of their strategy. Just like you’d take an Uber to a friend’s house instead of waiting for a train that might not even go to their neighborhood, small satellite companies need dedicated rides . Most satellites today are getting smaller—under 500 kilograms—and they often have very unique mission requirements for things like earth observation or defense .

Lena: So, instead of being a tiny passenger on a giant SpaceX Falcon 9, where you have no control over the schedule or the final orbit, you book a Vikram rocket. It’s a "dedicated" launch. Pawan says this is a huge niche because 90% of the satellites being built now are small .

Miles: And the economics of this are wild. Pawan estimates that a single launch can bring in up to $10 million in revenue . They’ve already built a factory that can produce one rocket a month, with the goal of scaling to two a month . If you can launch twelve to twenty-four times a year at that price point, you’re looking at a massive, highly profitable business.

Lena: But he also admits that getting to that "commercial" stage is the hardest part. You usually need at least one or two successful flights before the big commercial contracts really kick in . Their first few launches are "partially commercial," meaning there are clients, but everyone understands the inherent risk of a new vehicle .

Miles: It’s a high barrier to entry. Very few companies can actually build these and get them to work. But Pawan points out that once you crack the engineering, the business part is actually "not rocket science." It’s a very visible, high-demand market . The world is starved for access to space.

Lena: And that demand is only going up. We’re moving from a few government satellites to massive "constellations" of thousands of satellites providing global internet . Every one of those needs a ride up there. Skyroot is betting that being the most affordable, accessible "cab" in that market is the winning play.

Miles: One thing that really stands out in Pawan’s story is how much credit he gives to the people who came before him. He named his rockets "Vikram" as a tribute to Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, the father of the Indian space program . He’s very clear that without the foundation Sarabhai built in the 1960s, Skyroot wouldn’t exist today .

Lena: It’s a beautiful full circle. Sarabhai started the program in a small church in a fishing village with almost no funding . Pawan says he sees Sarabhai as a "startup founder" who just happened to be working for the government . That same spirit of doing more with less—frugal engineering—is what drives Skyroot now.

Miles: And it’s not just a sentimental connection. Skyroot is actually one of the largest private users of ISRO’s facilities . They signed the first ever MOU with the agency, which gives them access to hundreds of millions of dollars worth of testing infrastructure that no startup could afford to build on its own .

Lena: Pawan’s time as a scientist at ISRO was clearly foundational. He worked on the LVM3, which is the same rocket that eventually put a lander near the South Pole of the moon . He says he was literally "sitting on" these rockets, seeing the complexity up close . That hands-on experience gave him the "rigor of engineering" he needed to start his own company.

Miles: It also taught him that you don’t need the budget of NASA to achieve greatness. He mentions that ISRO’s entire budget since its inception is less than what NASA spends in a single year . That "resourceful way of working" is deeply embedded in the Indian ecosystem. It’s about building high-precision things at low cost by thinking out of the box .

Lena: It’s also interesting to see the shift in the government’s role. Pawan was surprised by how quickly the "red tape" turned into a "red carpet" once the space policy opened up . It’s a rare case where a government agency—ISRO—is actively enabling its own future competitors because they see the bigger picture of national growth.

Miles: Pawan calls it "People Engineering" alongside "Rocket Engineering" . You have to build a culture where people aren’t just working for a paycheck, but for the nation and for the future of humanity . That’s the magic ingredient that allowed ISRO to succeed, and it’s what Pawan is trying to replicate at Skyroot.

Lena: If you’re looking to build something in "deep tech"—meaning a company based on a significant scientific or engineering breakthrough—Pawan has a very specific playbook. First, he says, you have to be comfortable with long gestation periods. This isn’t a software app you can pivot in a weekend .

Miles: He’s raised $160 million so far, and they’re only just getting to their first orbital launch . That’s a lot of capital to burn before you even have a "product" in the traditional sense. He says raising capital in this sector is the true "rocket science" because the risk is so hard for investors to gauge .

Lena: His advice for hiring is also counterintuitive. He prefers a "small, lean team of exceptional people" over a massive organization . When they launched Vikram S, they only had about 100 to 150 engineers . He looks for people with a "spirit of never saying no" and a willingness to get into the details .

Miles: And he leads by example. He tries to be the hardest-working person in the room, often staying until midnight or putting in 18-hour days . He believes that intensity is necessary because when you’re building a rocket, you’re literally responsible for the "whole future" of the company every time you make a decision .

Lena: What’s fascinating is that he doesn't see "business" as a separate skill set. He treats it like an engineering problem. He literally Googled "how to raise capital" when he started . He thinks engineers make great entrepreneurs because they’re used to breaking down complex problems into math puzzles .

Miles: There’s also the "early bird" advantage. He started when there was no policy and no capital, but he saw that as an opportunity . If you wait until everything is safe and established, the risk is lower, but so is the potential reward. He took a bold, unconventional risk by leaving a prestigious government job to start over from scratch, and that’s what gave Skyroot its head start .

Lena: And finally, he emphasizes localization. By designing and manufacturing 100% of the rocket within India, they’ve created a supply chain that is both cost-effective and resilient . They aren't dependent on global fluctuations as much as other players might be. It’s a "Truly Atmanirbhar"—truly self-reliant—approach to high tech .

Miles: Pawan makes a really bold claim: "If steel built modern civilization, space will build future civilization" . That’s not just a catchy slogan; it’s a fundamental view of where the global economy is heading. He sees space as the infrastructure for everything from global connectivity to the next generation of AI .

Lena: We already see this with things like GPS and satellite TV, but he says that’s just the "tip of the iceberg" . He envisions billions of people getting high-speed internet directly from space, which will be a multi-billion dollar industry in itself . The World Economic Forum even estimates the space economy will hit $1.8 billion by 2035 .

Miles: One of the most futuristic ideas he mentions is putting data centers in space . He believes the lowest cost of compute will eventually be in orbit. These space-based data centers could drive AI development at a scale we can't even imagine right now .

Lena: It also has direct impacts on things we might not think about, like food security. He mentions that one in three fishermen in India already use satellite data to find the best spots to fish, saving billions of dollars every year . It’s about solving "Earth problems" from a better vantage point.

Miles: This is why he’s so confident that India can leapfrog other nations. India is already one of only seven or eight nations with its own launch capability . They have the engineers, the frugal mindset, and the geographical advantage of a long coastline near the equator .

Lena: It’s a global race, and Pawan sees Skyroot as a way to take "India global" . He looks up to Elon Musk for showing that a private company can completely transform an industry, but he’s doing it with a uniquely Indian flavor of efficiency .

Miles: It’s about "opening space for all" . If you make it affordable and accessible, you unlock a massive wave of innovation that we can’t even predict yet. It’s like the early days of the internet—we knew it was big, but we didn't know it would become the backbone of literally everything.

Lena: As we look at everything Skyroot has achieved, there are some really powerful takeaways for you, whether you’re building a tech giant or just starting a small project. Let’s go through fifteen key lessons we’ve seen today. First, break everything down to first principles. Pawan didn’t just follow the old rocket blueprint; he asked what the lightest material was and went with carbon fiber .

Miles: Second, embrace "People Engineering." You can't build a high-performance machine without a high-performance culture . Third, be paranoid about the details. In high-stakes work, the most "trivial" things are often what cause a total failure . Fourth, frugality is a competitive advantage. Doing more with less forces you to be more innovative .

Lena: Fifth, don’t wait for the policy to catch up. If you see an opportunity, start early and help shape the framework . Sixth, use analogies to explain your value. The "Uber for space" makes a complex business model instantly understandable . Seventh, leapfrog old tech. Don’t just iterate on the past; jump to the most advanced tools available, like 3D printing .

Miles: Eighth, lean teams win. 150 exceptional people can outpace a massive, layered bureaucracy . Ninth, lead from the front. If you want an 18-hour-a-day culture, you have to be the one doing it first . Tenth, build on existing foundations. Skyroot’s success is built on the decades of work by ISRO .

Lena: Eleventh, valuation is just a means to an end. It’s a tool to raise capital, not the final goal—the rocket still has to work . Twelfth, solve Earth problems from space. Look for high-impact applications, like helping fishermen or providing global internet . Thirteenth, localize your supply chain. Resilience comes from being able to build everything "at home" .

Miles: Fourteenth, failure is a data point. You have to be willing to give 10 years of your life not achieving anything to learn the things that lead to success . and finally, fifteenth, have an audacious vision. If you believe if steel built modern civilization, space will build future civilization it changes every decision you make .

Lena: We can also pull out some great mental models from this. There’s the Gravity Well, representing the massive energy needed to start something new . Frugal Engineering, or achieving high precision with low resources . The 1,000 Parts Rule, where one tiny failure can sink the whole ship . Leapfrogging, where you skip intermediate steps to use the latest tech . And Strategic Paranoia, which is the only way to ensure quality in a zero-error environment .

Miles: We’ve also got The Uber Model, for finding niche markets in massive industries . First Principles Design, questioning every material and process . The Lean Team Advantage, for speed and agility . Resourceful Innovation, building your own solutions when you have little funding . and The Calling, which is that inner drive that makes a decade of potential failure feel like a risk worth taking .

Lena: So, as we wrap things up, I’m thinking back to that image of a seven-story rocket being built in Hyderabad, powered by 3D printed engines and wrapped in carbon fiber . It’s easy to get caught up in the $1.1 billion valuation, but the real story is about a few engineers who decided to treat "rocket science" as a math puzzle they could solve .

Miles: Exactly. Pawan Chandana’s journey from a "backbencher" at IIT to a space tech pioneer is a reminder that the biggest risks often come with the biggest opportunities . Whether you're interested in the future of humanity or just trying to figure out how to build a resilient team, there’s so much to learn from the rigor and passion they’ve put into Skyroot.

Lena: And here is a memory hook to keep all this top of mind: "Space is the new steel." Whenever you think about the future of technology, remember that phrase. Just as steel was the foundation of the modern world, space infrastructure—satellites, data centers, global connectivity—will be the foundation of the next one .

Miles: It’s a powerful way to frame it. We’re standing on the shoulders of giants like Vikram Sarabhai, but the next chapter is being written by people who aren't afraid to "light the candle" and see what’s possible .

Lena: Thanks for joining us for this deep dive into the world of Skyroot Aerospace and Pawan Chandana. We hope you walk away with a bit more audacity for your own projects.

Miles: Take a moment to reflect on what your "rocket" is—what’s that one tough, complex problem you’ve been afraid to tackle? Maybe it's just a math puzzle waiting to be solved. Thanks for listening.