'Start companies while in school': Skyroot CEO Pawan Chandana’s advice to Gen Z & Gen Alpha on taking risks, choosing deep tech and building early

Skyroot Aerospace CEO Pawan Chandana has a message for India's young generation: do not wait until you graduate to start building something meaningful.

In an interaction with The Times of India (TOI), Chandana encouraged Gen Z and Gen Alpha to take risks, work on ambitious projects while still in school and explore deep-tech fields such as space, defence and advanced manufacturing.

The Skyroot CEO, who co-founded the Hyderabad-based space startup after working at ISRO, also spoke about the future of India's private space sector, artificial intelligence in rocket development, reusable launch vehicles, 3D printing and the company's plans for Vikram-1 and Vikram-2.


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Pawan Chandana on what Gen Z and Gen Alpha should do

Asked what lessons young people should take from his journey, Chandana said students should start early rather than wait for the traditional career path to unfold.

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“Take high risks. India needs more entrepreneurship, and risk-taking is now encouraged in a way it was not earlier. Start early. Students can build companies or serious projects while still in school. Choose deep tech. Space, defence, advanced manufacturing and other deep-tech areas can create a major impact for the country and for people’s lives,” he told TOI.

Skyroot CEO says degrees are becoming outdated

Chandana also questioned the importance placed on formal degrees, particularly as artificial intelligence changes the way people learn and work.

“Degrees are becoming outdated in many ways, especially in the AI era. I studied at top institutions, including IIT, but I became a real engineer only after joining ISRO, where I actually built things,” he said.

“Real engineering begins when you build. At Skyroot, I became a builder in a different way because we had to create the organisation from scratch. The best people are often self-learners driven by curiosity,” Chandana added.

Pawan Chandana's advice to class 10 and 11 students

For school students who dream of building something ambitious, Chandana's advice is simple: start.

“First, just start. Many people keep saying they want to start but never begin. Once you start, a large part of the journey has already begun,” he told TOI.

He also urged students to identify significant problems in areas they care about and work towards solving them.

“Second, choose the biggest problem in your area of interest and go after it directly. If the goal is ambitious, good people, investors and policymakers are more likely to support you. Third, persist through the difficult phases,” he said.

Students can start building rockets in school, says Skyroot CEO

Chandana believes today's students have an advantage because they are growing up with artificial intelligence and easier access to information and technology.

“The world is changing very fast, especially because of artificial intelligence. Students today are an AI-native generation, so they must keep pace with technology,” he said.

“Learning has become much easier; you can learn a lot within minutes or hours if you are curious and disciplined.”

He added that students interested in space technology do not necessarily have to wait until college to begin.

“Students should not wait until later in life. They can start passion projects in school itself. If they want to build rockets, they can begin by designing, experimenting and using the tools available today,” Chandana said.

How Skyroot Aerospace was built in India

According to Chandana, three factors were essential for the emergence of India's private space sector: talent, capital and policy support.

“Three things were needed: talent, capital and policy. India has exceptional engineering talent,” he said.

“Capital was a question when we started, but Skyroot has raised more than Rs 1,400 crore on the strength of an idea and execution. Policy support came when the government opened the space sector to private players.”

“Once talent, capital and policy aligned, like the stars, it became possible to build world-class space companies from India,” Chandana added.

Vikram-1 launch was a high-pressure moment

Skyroot's Vikram-1 recently achieved a major milestone as part of Mission Aagaman, becoming India's first privately developed rocket to reach orbit.

Recalling the launch, Chandana said the apparent calm seen during the countdown did not reflect what was happening internally.

“People said I looked calm, but internally there was a lot of pressure. Liftoff is one of the most critical moments,” he told TOI.

“The launchpad itself is extremely valuable, and it was not our launchpad, so I wanted the rocket to clear it safely and quickly. I relaxed only after the satellites were deployed.”

He said the successful first attempt strengthened his confidence in India's ability to develop advanced technology.

“Succeeding on the first attempt gave us confidence that India can build cutting-edge technology at a global level,” Chandana said.

What was the biggest risk in building Skyroot?

For Chandana, establishing Skyroot itself was the biggest risk.

“At that time, there was no clear policy, no funding environment and no private-sector talent pool for rockets. We had to build everything from scratch,” he said.

Skyroot has since grown to more than 1,000 employees, with Chandana saying the average age is around 28. He added that about 95% of employees had not previously worked on rockets or in the space sector.

“We trained and built the talent internally,” he said.

Skyroot's biggest challenge is repeatability

After successfully reaching orbit, Skyroot's next major challenge is to demonstrate that it can repeat the achievement consistently.

“Repeatability. We succeeded in reaching orbit on the first attempt, which is rare globally. The next challenge is to do it repeatedly,” Chandana said.

“A rocket has tens of thousands of parts, and everything has to work correctly every time.”

When will Skyroot launch Vikram-1 again?

Chandana said Vikram-1 will remain Skyroot's primary launch vehicle for the time being.

“Vikram-1 will remain our main vehicle, our workhorse, for now, with possible small variants and upgrades. We are targeting another launch towards the end of this year. Next year, we plan multiple Vikram-1 launches,” he said.

The next mission will be partly commercial while also serving as a test flight.

“We need two or three consistent successes to prove repeatability. Every launch will include improvements based on what we learn,” Chandana said.

Vikram-2 to carry nearly one tonne to orbit

Skyroot is also working on a larger rocket, Vikram-2, which Chandana said will have substantially greater payload capacity.

“We are targeting the first launch of Vikram-2 towards the end of next year. It will have significantly higher payload capacity than Vikram-1, close to one tonne to orbit,” he said.

Skyroot working on reusable rockets

The company is also developing reusable launch vehicle technology, although Chandana said it remains a longer-term project.

“We have been working on reusable launch vehicles for quite some time. Progress is being made, but it will take a few years,” he said.

“Vikram is the immediate focus, while reusable vehicles are the next major step and will expand the market.”

How AI could change rocket development

Artificial intelligence is expected to play a growing role in the space industry, although Chandana said AI was not extensively used in the Vikram-1 rocket that has already flown.

“We did not use much AI in the rocket we launched because the design began four to five years ago, before the current AI wave,” he said.

The company was also cautious about using AI tools because of security concerns.

“In the future, AI will play a larger role in rocket design. Work that takes years today may take months,” Chandana said.

“AI can help different teams or systems work faster on different parts of the rocket. It will accelerate ambitions, but rockets will still need deep engineering, physics and human judgement.”

3D printing is changing rocket manufacturing

Chandana also highlighted the growing importance of 3D printing in rocket manufacturing, particularly for complicated components.

“3D printing is very useful for complex parts. Rocket engines have intricate channels for fuel flow, cooling and other functions, and 3D printing allows us to manufacture them faster and with fewer complications,” he said.

The technology can also be useful when components are needed quickly.

“One unusual example was a part related to the flight termination system, which traditionally would take months to manufacture. We were able to make it in a few days,” Chandana said.

70 to 80% of launch demand is global

Chandana said most of the demand Skyroot is seeing comes from outside India.

“Around 70% to 80% of the demand is global. Skyroot is offering a global service from India, with rockets designed and manufactured in India,” he said.

The company has also announced a three-launch contract with Hex20, with Chandana indicating that more announcements could follow.

Skyroot wants to increase launch frequency

The company is currently using ISRO's launch facilities, but Chandana said Skyroot could eventually consider developing its own launchpad.

“We have not formally announced a launchpad. The thought exists,” he said.

“At present, we use ISRO’s launchpads. In the initial phase, it is better to use existing launchpads and focus on proving the rocket.”

He added that a dedicated launchpad could become important as the company's launch frequency increases.

“Once the vehicle is proven and launches become frequent, having your own launchpad helps increase cadence and control,” Chandana said.

Skyroot's approach to sustainability and space debris

Chandana said sustainability needs to be considered both on Earth and in space.

“Reusable rockets help sustainability on Earth because parts come back and can be used multiple times. In space, debris is a major issue,” he said.

“Our future plan is to deorbit rocket stages so they are not left in orbit. Regulations are also moving towards requiring objects to be removed after their life.”

India's private space sector has grown rapidly

Chandana said the opening of India's space sector to private companies has significantly changed the industry.

“The space policy was announced in 2020 and formalised in 2023. In a short time, India has seen more than 400 space startups, over 5,000 people employed in private space startups and around Rs 8,000 crore in investment,” he said.

“The opening of the sector is one of the biggest developments in Indian space after the start of the national space programme.”

Pawan Chandana says India needs a space law

As India's private space industry expands, Chandana believes a formal legal framework will become increasingly important.

“Yes. Policy is important, but as activity increases, a formal legal framework will be needed to handle issues, incidents and responsibilities. A space law will help provide clarity,” he said.

Skyroot CEO On India's space talent

While India has a large engineering talent pool, Chandana acknowledged that quality remains an important concern.

“Yes, quality is a concern, but because the number of engineers is so large, even the top percentage gives us a strong talent pool,” he said.

He added that Skyroot hired around 70 people from IITs across the country this year, from disciplines including mechanical, aerospace, electrical, electronics, computer science and chemical engineering.

What Pawan Chandana had to unlearn after ISRO

Moving from ISRO to entrepreneurship required Chandana to change the way he approached engineering and organisation-building.

“I had to unlearn almost everything. Building within a large organisation is different from building a company from scratch,” he said.

“The past can become baggage if you believe you already know everything. The world is moving fast, so unlearning must be continuous. What you knew last year may need to be re-examined this year.”

Pawan Chandana says team building is critical

Looking back, Chandana said he wished he had understood fundraising and team building earlier in his entrepreneurial journey.

“I wish I had known how to raise capital earlier. I was a technocrat and had to learn fundraising on the go,” he said.

“The second area is team building. Everything is executed by the team. Over the years, we learned how to build a team that can move fast and perform well.”

Skyroot CEO Says Entrepreneurship And Rockets Were Childhood Dreams

Chandana said entrepreneurship was something he had wanted to pursue from a young age.

“Yes. I wanted to be an entrepreneur since childhood. I became a rocket scientist because of passion. Skyroot came from combining these two interests: entrepreneurship and rockets,” he said.

Vikram-1's historic Mission Aagaman Launch

Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 launch vehicle lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 12.05 pm as part of Mission Aagaman.

Around 15 minutes after liftoff, the rocket successfully deployed its payloads into a 450-km orbit.

The mission marked a major milestone for India's private space industry, with Vikram-1 becoming the first privately developed Indian rocket to reach orbit.

For Skyroot, however, the next challenge is already clear: proving that this success can be repeated.

As Chandana put it, “Reaching orbit on the first attempt was very difficult, and sustaining success through repeated launches is even harder.”


Inputs from TOI