Skyroot Aerospace Private Limited is an Indian startup in the field of the space sector. It is also called SpaceX of India because it is based on innovation in the space sector. It is the first company other than ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) in India that has its launching vehicle and also competes with ISRO in small satellite launching services.
It is based in Hyderabad, in Telangana state of India. It was established on 12th June 2018 by Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka, two former scientists of ISRO with seed funding of 100 million rupees (1.35 million USD) from Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori founder of CureFit.
Skyroot HeadQuarter
Skyroot Aerospace unveils its new headquarters in Hyderabad, which is named ‘Max-Q’. It is spread over 60,000 sq ft. It’s known as the biggest private facility in South Asia where rockets are developed, all under one roof. ‘Max-Q’ is the abbreviation of the Maximum stress that a rocket has to push through while journeying to space.
Developments of Skyroot
After its establishment on June 18, 2018, a significant event took place on August 20, 2020: the fire test of the upper-stage Raman engine’s liquid propulsion system. In Sept 2021 Skyroot tested India’s first 3D-printed Dhawan-1 rocket engine which is fuelled by liquefied natural gas and liquid oxygen.
On 18th November 2022, Skyroot Aerospace launched India’s first privately built rocket “Vikram-S” from ISRO’s launching facility in Srihari Kota, Andhra Pradesh. Vikram-S was a sounding rocket that reached an altitude of 89 kilometers, this first launch was named ‘Praramb‘ means the beginning, and the rocket was named to tribute “Vikram Sarabhai” the father of the Indian space program.
Now Skyroot Aerospace is ready for its first commercial launch by Vikram-1 rocket, this rocket has a full carbon-fiber body and is capable of deploying multiple small satellites into orbit and also features 3D-printed liquid engines. This rocket is India’s first privately designed and developed orbital-class rocket.
Vikram-1 is one of the three rockets in the Vikram series of Skyroot Aerospace and others Vikram-2 and Vikram-3 are under development. The Vikram series launching rockets marks a significant step in manufacturing technology because it uses cutting-edge 3D printed propellant injector which enhances engine efficiency by reducing weight by up to 50% and also reducing manufacturing time by 80%.
Skyroot Aerospace claims that it is the only startup in the world that can carry payload ranging from 200-700 kilograms to low earth orbit. It designed and developed its rockets in such a way that they can be assembled and launched on-demand in just a few days, these rockets are not very complicated so their parts can be manufactured in bulk and require minimal manufacturing infrastructure.
Read also Vikram-1: India’s first private orbital class rocket
Future Plan of Skyroot Aerospace
This startup has a plan to launch around 20,000 small satellites in the coming decade with Vikram series rockets. Skyroot Aerospace thinks Space is open for all and makes launching spaceflight affordable and reliable and soon launching a satellite become as easy as booking a cab.
This startup is in talks with satellite companies to sign up customers for its launch and plans to charge the launching of a satellite around USD 15000 per kg. The entire launch market is projected to be worth USD 69 billion in the next 10 years.
Skyroot Aerospace has also a plan to design and develop a larger reusable rocket to carry geostationary satellites to geostationary orbits and in the future it may start space tourism services.
Read also Kulasekhpatnam: India’s 2nd Satellite Launch Station
The Leadership of Skyroot Aerospace
The cumulative experience of all the team members of Skyroot Aerospace is around 1000 + years and the team size is 200+ members. Pawan Kumar Chandana is CEO and CTO, Naga Bharath Daka is COO, Vasudevan Gnana Gandhi is the pioneer of a cryogenic rocket engine in India and now Sr. Vice President of liquid propulsion in this startup, Eswaran V Gounder is head of solid propulsion, Selvaraju S is head of quality and system reliability and Kishore Tallam is CFO of the Skyroot Aerospace.
Read also NISAR (NASA- ISRO SAR)- Detailed Explanation
Who is the owner of Skyroot Aerospace?
Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka are the owner
Who is the founder of Skyroot Aerospace?
Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka are the founder.
