Building India's First Private Space Company with Pawan Chandana of Skyroot

India's first private space company, Skyroot Aerospace, aims to build human settlements in space by developing reliable and cost-effective rocket technology, leveraging India's engineering talent and cost efficiency.

00:00 🚀 Skyroot Aerospace, India's first private space company, successfully launched a rocket into space, becoming the seventh country to do so, with their founder and CEO, Pawan Chandana, aiming to build human settlements in space.

• Skyroot Aerospace, India's first private space company, successfully launched a rocket into space, becoming the seventh country in the world to do so, and their founder and CEO, Pawan Chandana, has big ambitions for building human settlements in space.
• The speaker describes the intense mix of excitement and nervousness during the rocket launch, with relief coming after a few seconds when everything seemed to be going well.
• In just two years, India's first private space company, Skyroot, successfully launched a rocket, which is a significant achievement for a startup and demonstrates the potential of young entrepreneurs.
• Pawan Chandana, the founder of Skyroot, grew up in a small town, wanted to become a scientist/engineer, studied mechanical engineering in college, and became fascinated with rockets as the most challenging machine to work on.
• Changing schools and having teachers who believed in him transformed the speaker from a below-average student to a top performer in both school and college.
• Pawan Chandana was determined to work for ISRO despite it not being a high-paying job and his fascination with the tech field led him to prioritize his commitment to ISRO over other job opportunities.

14:46 🚀 India's private space company Skyroot was founded to overcome rocket failures and has achieved a high success rate with its PSLV rockets, making it a reliable option, but PSLV is not sufficient for launching satellites into geostationary orbit.

• The speaker discusses his experience in college, where he was an average student but excelled in his interview for a NASA project in thermal engineering, which involves managing heat in vehicles and satellites, and his involvement in a cryogenic engineering center that collaborated with ISRO and NASA.
• Pawan Chandana joined ISRO in 2012 and was part of the integration division, specifically working on the GSLV Mark III program, which is the largest rocket ever built in India and will launch Indian astronauts into space in the coming years; ISRO is considered one of the top five space organizations globally with advanced technology in rockets and satellites.
• India's space program started in the 1960s under the leadership of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, who was able to pitch the idea to the government and receive support despite the country's poor economic situation, and over the years, ISRO has made significant progress in space exploration, starting with sounding rockets for atmospheric measurements.
• India started with small rockets like the Diwali rocket, then progressed to bigger rockets like the rohini series, and eventually launched satellites into orbit with the SLV3 rocket, led by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam in the 70s, making India the seventh country to achieve this feat.
• India's private space company, Skyroot, was founded to overcome the negative perception of rocket failures and has achieved a high success rate with its PSLV rockets, making it one of the few globally reliable options.
• PSLV became popular for satellite launches due to its affordability, but it is not sufficient for launching satellites into geostationary orbit, which is necessary for communication services like TV.

29:00 🚀 The speaker discusses their involvement in the development of India's GSLV Mark III rocket, their deep immersion in rocket design at ISRO, and their decision to start their own rocket company in 2018.

• The speaker discusses their involvement in the development and launch of India's GSLV Mark III rocket, which was considered a major success and nicknamed the "bahubali Rocket" due to its large size.
• Space is typically considered to start at around 80 kilometers above the Earth's surface, with stable orbits for low Earth satellites being above 400 kilometers and up to 2000 kilometers.
• Rockets need to travel at a speed of 7.8 kilometers per second to put satellites into orbit, with lower satellites used for Earth imaging and geostationary orbit satellites requiring more energy to reach their higher altitude of 36,000 kilometers.
• The speaker had always wanted to start a big company since college, but initially lacked ideas, so they pursued a career at ISRO before eventually deciding to start their own rocket company in 2018.
• The speaker discusses their deep immersion and curiosity in their work at ISRO, where they studied and learned about rocket design and systems, leading to a depth of understanding and expertise in rocketry.
• The speaker initially thought it was impossible to start a rocket company in India due to the complexities involved, but gradually realized that it was feasible.

39:55 🚀 India's first private space company, Skyroot, was founded by Pawan Chandana after being inspired by SpaceX, and with initial funding of 1.5 million, they built a team of 15 people that grew to around 35-40, demonstrating the importance of long-term commitment and investment in deep tech.

• In 2017, Pawan Chandana decided to start a private space company after observing successful companies like SpaceX, and he reached out to Mukesh Bansal in 2018 to discuss the idea.
• The speaker met his business partner and investor, who he was a fan of, and they had a conversation that went longer than expected, but they connected well and were excited about the potential partnership.
• The speaker decided to back the founders of Skyroot, India's first private space company, because of their long-term commitment and passion, believing that the rise of the private space industry in India was inevitable.
• The speaker discusses the initial funding and risk appetite involved in starting India's first private space company, Skyroot, and how it was seen as a liberating opportunity rather than a sad retirement.
• They raised 1.5 million in seed funding, which was a significant amount for a rocket company in India at the time, and had enough capital to last for two and a half years, allowing them to launch the rocket in four and a half years, demonstrating the importance of long-term commitment and investment in deep tech.
• India's first private space company, Skyroot, started with a team of 15 people, including individuals from the restaurant industry and those with technical skill sets from non-Docker industries, and were able to attract high-quality talent by offering a unique opportunity in the aerospace sector, resulting in the company's growth to around 35-40 people.

51:49 🚀 Pawan Chandana discusses how they convinced experts, attracted top talent, and built India's first private space company, facing the complexity of rocket science and successfully testing their rocket engine using 3D printing.

• Pawan Chandana discusses how they approached key experts in rocket technology, convinced them of the feasibility of their project, and attracted top talent to build India's first private space company.
• The process of designing and building rockets at Skyroot involves sketching out the design, conducting computer simulations, bringing in experts for review, and realizing that rocket science is much more complex and challenging than initially anticipated.
• Rocket equations and the concept of Delta V are fundamental in understanding how rockets work, and even someone with basic knowledge of high school physics can comprehend it.
• The rocket equation states that the ejection velocity and ratio of initial mass to final mass determine the Delta V, with a higher payload requiring a higher initial mass.
• The speaker discusses the process of building a private space company in India, including the importance of understanding basic physics and the complexity of bringing together the components to build a successful rocket.
• We successfully completed the testing of the rocket engine, named after Raman, using new technology like 3D printing, at a government facility, which was a historic and confidence-boosting achievement for our private space company.

01:02:27 🚀 Skyroot, India's first private space company, successfully raised funding and government support during the COVID-19 pandemic, formed partnerships, and built a rocket using carbon fiber with the help of India's vendor ecosystem.

• The company 3D printed the rocket channels internally to improve efficiency and prevent the hypergolic propellants from mixing, resulting in successful testing and the addition of new partners.
• Skyroot, India's first private space company, formed a partnership with Solar Industries, the largest explosives manufacturer in the world, who initially became a vendor and later invested in Skyroot, providing infrastructure for testing rocket engines, while Skyroot reached out to hundreds of investors.
• Despite facing numerous rejections from investors, the speaker persevered and successfully raised a significant amount of funding for their space company, which was the largest investment in the sector at that time.
• Despite facing challenges and a longer-than-expected journey, the speaker's private space company successfully secured funding and government support during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing them to continue their mission of building and testing engines.
• Rocket launching requires a policy framework and license, and although there was uncertainty, the speaker believed that the path would eventually open up, which happened sooner than expected due to government reforms and the impact of COVID-19.
• The rocket is built using carbon fiber, with a large spool of threads shaped into a rocket structure over several months, and all parts are designed from scratch with the help of India's vendor ecosystem, taking years to build and qualify each component.

01:14:32 🚀 India's first private space company, Skyroot, has successfully tested critical components and aims to reach orbit in their first attempt with a target of under $30 million in capital, believing that the success of this new industry will have immense business potential and open space for all within a decade.

• The speaker discusses the process of building India's first private space company, including the challenges of assembling and testing thousands of complex components, navigating government regulations, and the importance of innovation.
• The Indian government has been supportive and efficient in enabling policies and granting permissions for the development of India's first private space company, Skyroot, which has successfully tested critical components and proven the technology for their upcoming rocket launch.
• India's first private space company, Skyroot, experienced immense celebration and pride after a successful launch, with the team and their families being recognized and interviewed by the media, and the company receiving positive feedback and realizing the significance of their achievement.
• Skyroot, India's first private space company, aims to reach orbit in their first attempt, with a target of under $30 million in capital, which is 30 times more efficient than other companies, and believes that the success of this new industry will have immense business potential.
• Skyroot's journey involves reaching orbit, achieving profitability through consistent launches and attracting customers in a growing satellite launch market, with the majority of their market being global.
• Skyroot's mission is to open space for all, allowing everyone to have the opportunity to travel to space, and the speaker believes that within a decade, it will be possible for common people to go on space trips with companies like Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin.

01:30:51 🚀 India's private space company, Skyroot, aims to build reliable and cost-effective products, drive innovation, and enable breakthroughs in the space industry, such as consistent reusable launch vehicles and high-speed internet access from space, leveraging India's sustainable advantage in engineering talent and cost efficiency.

• To build confidence in rocket reliability and enable space tourism, multiple launches are needed, and space exploration is crucial for accessing abundant resources beyond Earth to sustain exponential population growth.
• The speaker discusses the potential of mining resources in space and the importance of low-cost access to space, highlighting the limited number of successful rocket companies in the world and the fascination with the possibility of life beyond Earth, particularly on Mars.
• India has a sustainable advantage in the space industry due to its young population, abundance of engineering talent, and cost efficiency in resource utilization.
• India's private space company, Skyroot, emphasizes the importance of having the right team and culture, similar to companies like SpaceX, in order to build reliable and cost-effective products and drive innovation in the space industry.
• The next breakthrough in the space industry will be consistent reusable launch vehicles, which will open up space travel for everyone and transform life, with the added transformation of 50% of the world population gaining high-speed internet access directly from space, and Skyroot is optimistic about playing a leading role in enabling these breakthroughs.
• The speaker expresses gratitude for the conversation, looks forward to continuing to work together, and hopes that the discussion will educate people about the space industry.

Key Insights

Challenges and Successes in Building a Private Space Company

• 💡 Pawan Chandana had an unfinished desire to work in deep tech with long-term impact, and receiving an email from ISRO engineers about building a rocket company sparked his interest and led to the formation of Skyroot.
• ⏳ Pawan Chandana recognized the importance of thinking long-term, with a focus on a 10 to 20-year journey, emphasizing the need for patience and perseverance in building an impactful company from scratch.
• 💪 The early success of Skyroot can be attributed to the passion, feasibility, and belief in their value proposition, which attracted top talent to join the company.
• 🚀 Building a private space company is a complex and challenging endeavor, requiring extensive rocket design, simulations, and expertise, with underestimated difficulties and resource requirements.
• 💰 Despite facing numerous rejections from investors, Skyroot was able to raise a significant amount of funding, including a $11 million round, demonstrating their resilience and determination in the face of adversity.
• 🚀 Building a rocket is a complex process that requires precision and expertise, taking several years to build and qualify each component.
• 🚀 Building India's first private space company, Skyroot, faced complex challenges in designing and building their rocket, including intricate components, heat, stress, and vibration.
• 💰 Skyroot plans to reach orbit at a significantly lower cost compared to other private space companies, with an estimated capital usage of under $30 million, providing them with a 30X efficient advantage and immense business potential.

Achievements and Impact in the Space Industry

• 🚀 Skyroot Aerospace became the first private space company in India to successfully launch a rocket into space, putting India on the global map in the space industry.
• 🚀 The founder's experience of building their own rocket company for five years and seeing their rocket launch successfully was like their own baby coming to life, making it an incredibly exciting journey.
• 🌍 The significance of a startup building and launching a rocket in India within a short period of time symbolizes the potential of young entrepreneurs and what they can accomplish.
• 🎉 The launch of India's first private space company, Skyroot, was celebrated as a national event, with immense satisfaction and excitement across the country.

Journey and Vision of ISRO

• 🌍 ISRO is considered one of the top five space organizations globally, with technology on par with any other organization in the world, particularly in the field of rockets and satellites.
• 💪 The journey of ISRO showcases the power of one person's vision, conviction, and playing the long game, leading to India's space program becoming one of the top five space organizations in the world.
• 🌌 Chandana witnessed major successes in India's space missions, including the launch of GSLV and the Mangalyan mission to Mars, during his tenure, despite the initial challenges and failures faced by the country in mastering cryogenic technology.
• 📚 Chandana's dedication to studying rocketry for over 17 years showcases the importance of developing a depth of understanding and expertise in a specific field, which is crucial for making a significant impact.

Technological Advancements and Opportunities in the Space Industry

• 🚀 Skyroot successfully completed the testing of the rocket engine, using new technologies like 3D printing, which had never been used before in the private sector in India.
• 🚀 3D printing technology has allowed for the creation of more efficient injectors for rockets, leading to improved performance and advancements in the space industry.
• 🛰️ The demand for satellite launches is rapidly increasing, with thousands of satellites being launched each year, presenting a significant opportunity for private space companies like Skyroot.

Q&A

Q1: What is the significance of Skyroot Aerospace successfully launching a rocket into space?

A1: The successful launch of a rocket by Skyroot Aerospace holds immense significance for India's space industry. It marks a significant milestone as Skyroot Aerospace becomes India's first private space company to achieve this feat. This achievement not only puts India on the global map but also demonstrates the country's capabilities in the field of space technology and exploration.

The founder and CEO of Skyroot Aerospace, Pawan Chandana, has a vision to build human settlements in space, showcasing the company's long-term ambitions and commitment to advancing space exploration. The launch itself is the result of years of effort and dedication from the team, reflecting their passion for space and their relentless pursuit of excellence.

This successful launch holds symbolic importance, as it exemplifies what young entrepreneurs can achieve when given the opportunity and support. By launching a rocket in a record time frame, Skyroot Aerospace has proven that even as a startup, they have the potential to make a significant impact in the space industry. This achievement serves as an inspiration for other entrepreneurs and showcases the potential of India's private space sector.

Q2: Can you provide an overview of India's space program and its history?

A2: India's space program has a rich history that began in the 1960s and has faced economic challenges along the way. The chief architect of the program, Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, initiated the efforts as part of the Department of Atomic Energy. Initially known as INCOSPAR, the program later evolved into the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 1969.

Despite India's economic limitations, Dr. Sarabhai was able to convince the government to invest in the space program. The journey started with smaller sounding rockets and gradually progressed to larger versions. Notable developments include the Rohini series of rockets and the creation of the SLV-3, a small launch vehicle designed for satellite deployment.

Over the years, ISRO has established itself as one of the top five space organizations globally, with cutting-edge technology and significant achievements to its name. The program's success can be attributed to the unwavering vision of Dr. Sarabhai, government support, and the dedication of the ISRO team.

Q3: How does thermal engineering relate to India's space program, and what is its significance?

A3: Thermal engineering plays a crucial role in India's space program, particularly in managing the heat generated within various vehicles and systems. In pursuit of advanced technologies, ISRO collaborates closely with the Cryogenic Engineering Center to simulate and develop cryogenic technology.

Working with the Cryogenic Engineering Center allows ISRO to harness their expertise and knowledge in cryogenics, a field that deals with ultra-low temperatures. This collaboration is instrumental in the development of cryogenic engines, which are vital for achieving high payload capacity and optimizing performance in space launches.

The significance of thermal engineering lies in its ability to ensure the safe and efficient operation of space vehicles, which are subjected to extreme temperature fluctuations during launch and while operating in space. By effectively managing heat, ISRO can enhance the reliability and performance of its rockets, ensuring successful missions and furthering India's space exploration endeavors.

Q4: What are the challenges and complexities involved in building a profitable rocket company in the satellite launch market?

A4: Building a profitable rocket company in the satellite launch market presents several challenges and complexities. One of the main challenges is achieving high levels of reliability and cost efficiency. The space industry demands a high degree of reliability, often with zero margins for error, as payloads can be valued in the millions or even billions of dollars.

Ensuring cost efficiency is also essential, as customers increasingly seek competitive pricing for satellite launch services. This requires efficient manufacturing processes, optimized designs, and economies of scale to keep costs down while maintaining quality standards.

Additionally, the space industry is evolving rapidly, with increasing demand for satellite launches. To remain competitive, rocket companies must keep pace with technological advancements, such as reusable launch vehicles, which can significantly reduce launch costs.

Furthermore, the emergence of space tourism and resource mining as potential future opportunities adds complexity to the market. These ventures require companies to adapt their technologies, business models, and safety protocols to cater to a broader range of customers and objectives.

Successfully navigating these challenges and complexities requires a strong team with expertise in various disciplines, a culture focused on reliability and cost-effectiveness, and a forward-thinking approach to innovation and market trends.

Note - This content is generated by AI, we believe it is accurate, but we don’t claim any liability of inaccuracies in the AI generated content.

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