He left ISRO to build India a private rocket. On 18 July 2026, it reached orbit at the first attempt.

Pawan Kumar Chandana spent six years at ISRO, working on the team behind its LVM3 rocket, before co-founding Skyroot Aerospace in 2018. On 18 July 2026 Skyroot’s Vikram-1 lifted off from Sriharikota and placed satellites in low Earth orbit: the first orbital launch by a private Indian company, achieved at the first attempt. Now the company is preparing to return to the pad.