Vikram 1 Success: Who are Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka, the real faces behind the success of Vikram-1? Know the inspiring story of the founders of Skyroot Aerospace.
Who is Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka: The date of 18 July 2026 will always be remembered in India’s space history. The successful launch of Skyroot Aerospace’s privately developed orbital rocket Vikram-1 proved that India’s private space sector is now standing in the league of big players in the world. But the two people who played the biggest role behind this historic achievement are Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharat Daka. These two engineers, who once worked together in ISRO, saw a dream which changed the direction of India’s space industry today.
Left ISRO job and chose the difficult path
Both Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharat Daka have been scientists at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). After working in space technology for years, he realized that there was immense potential in the space sector for private companies in India. With this thinking, he started Skyroot Aerospace from Hyderabad in 2018. Their objective was not just to build rockets, but to make small satellite launches faster, easier and economical so that customers around the world could use India’s services.
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A big journey started with small steps
Skyroot focused on technology from the very beginning. In 2020, the company successfully tested a private rocket engine named Raman-1. After this, Dhawan-1 cryogenic engine was tested in 2021. These successes show that the company is not just making big claims, but is also developing strong technology. After this, the successful flight of Vikram-S under Mission Pramand in 2022 gave a new identity to India’s private space sector. This was the country’s first privately developed rocket which made the way forward by successfully flying.
Vikram-1 changed the picture of India
Now Vikram-1 launched under Mission Aagaman has become Skyroot’s biggest achievement so far. It is a completely privately developed orbital rocket, which has been prepared with modern technologies like carbon-composite structure, 3D printed engine and high-thrust solid boosters. It has the capability to deliver small satellites weighing up to about 350 kg into low earth orbit. The success of this mission has included India among the select countries where a private company has developed and successfully sent an orbital launch vehicle into space.
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Why did Skyroot become the center of attention of the world today?
Pawan Kumar Chandana is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company, while Naga Bharat Daka is handling the responsibility of Chief Operating Officer (COO). Under the leadership of both of them, Skyroot’s team has reached more than 1,000 experts. The company is backed by global investors such as GIC and Temasek and has raised approximately $160 million in funding. This is the reason why Skyroot is counted among the most popular space startups of India today.