'He just cried': Skyroot CEO's heartfelt tribute to the father who never gave up on him

Behind every remarkable achievement is often a story of unwavering belief. For Pawan Chandana, Co-founder and CEO of Skyroot Aerospace, the historic success of Vikram-1 was not just a milestone for India's private space industry. It was also a deeply personal moment that took him back to the man who believed in him long before the world did. Days after India's first privately developed rocket successfully reached orbit, Chandana shared an emotional note on X, revealing the first phone call he made after the launch and the powerful response that left him in tears.

The first call after Vikram-1 reached orbit

Reflecting on the landmark achievement, Chandana wrote that after finally getting some sleep and letting everything sink in, he wanted to share a personal story. According to him, the very first call he made after Vikram-1 successfully reached orbit was to his father.

Calling him the person who made his journey possible, Chandana said his father always had dreams for him that were "far bigger" than the dreams he had for himself. More importantly, he said, his father never stopped believing in him, even during his most difficult years.

From struggling student to IIT graduate

Chandana revealed that his academic journey was far from perfect. Until Class 8, he described himself as a poor student.


He recalled scoring just 51 marks in Mathematics and even failing another subject. At that stage of his life, he said he could never have imagined that he would one day earn admission to the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur or help build India's first privately developed rocket to reach orbit successfully.

The achievement also placed India among only the third country in the world to accomplish this feat through a privately developed rocket, making the milestone even more significant.

The emotional conversation with his father

Despite witnessing Vikram-1's successful journey into orbit, Chandana said the moment that affected him the most came during his phone call with his father.

According to Chandana, his father simply cried after answering the call. He kept crying and could not speak a single word. Yet Chandana said he understood everything his father wanted to express without hearing a sentence.

He admitted that while he managed to control his emotions when Vikram-1 reached orbit, writing about his father's reaction eventually brought him to tears.

A tribute to fathers who never stop believing

Ending his heartfelt note, Chandana thanked his father for standing by him through every phase of his life. He also extended his appreciation to fathers everywhere who dream big for their children and refuse to give up on them, even when success seems distant.

Alongside the post, Chandana shared a photograph of his father taken on one of his birthdays after he started Skyroot Aerospace, making the tribute even more personal and touching.