Scored 51 in Maths, Cracked IIT, Worked at ISRO: How Skyroot CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana Built India's First Private Rocket to Reach Space

Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 06:24pm on 18 Jul 2026,Saturday Science

Skyroot Aerospace co-founder and CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana has become a symbol of India's growing private space sector after Vikram-I became the country's first privately developed rocket to reach space. Chandana, who once scored 51 marks in mathematics, later cracked the IIT entrance exam, joined IIT Kharagpur and worked at ISRO on the GSLV Mk III programme. In 2018, he co-founded Skyroot Aerospace with fellow former ISRO engineer Naga Bharath Daka. Today, the Hyderabad-based startup is leading India's private space revolution, proving that curiosity, determination and innovation matter more than early academic setbacks. (PC: X)

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