HYDERABAD: Once a small startup with hardly 10 members, it has now opened a new chapter in the private space industry by launching the first rocket in the country. Started in a small setup in Kondapur in 2018 with a team of 10, Skyroot is now on a mission to open space for all, by pushing the boundaries of today’s technology. This startup is working towards a future where space becomes part of lives, and such a transition will transform humankind like never before and till date, it raised $ 68 million in funding. This was a T-Hub incubated start-up
The firm started by former ISRO engineers Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharat Daka in 2018 to encourage new talent in the private space sector. Earth to space transportation remains expensive, access to space has been limited to very few governments and enterprises.
But Skyroot commenced their startup so that launching satellites to space can be made as easy as booking a cab - quick, precise and affordable. According to Skyroot, more than 20,000 small satellites are estimated to be launched in the coming decade, and Vikram series is designed to enable this through unprecedented mass production.
Skyroot was established with seed funding from Mukesh Bansal, who founded Myntra, an e-commerce platform. In August 2020, it became the 1st Indian private company to successfully test fire a full-scale liquid propulsion engine. In a span of month, Skyroot developed India’s first privately built 3D printed cryogenic engine in two days.
In the same year, Skyroot won the prestigious National Start-up Award 2020. In 2021, it signed an MoU with ISRO for facilities and expertise. After working four years on their rocket, it successfully completed full duration test-firing Vikram first rocket stage in this May.
According to Skyroot, there is a lot to explore in space industry and there is a need for more private players to look on to it. “Space has transformed our lives for decades through GPS, Satellite internet and television, weather prediction, disaster response, understanding the universe, and many others and it also requires many innovations in the country,” it added.