Rafomac News, Tech & Trends That MatterIndia’s space journey has evolved from government pride to private enterprise ambition. Two former ISRO engineers defied legality, limited funding, and global competition to create Skyroot, a billion-dollar company rivaling Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
The story of India’s space program isn’t just about satellites or historic missions to Mars—it’s about a radical shift from state monopoly to bold entrepreneurship. Until recently, launching a rocket as a private company was illegal in India. Yet, two former ISRO engineers dared to dream differently and founded Skyroot, a startup now valued at over a billion dollars.
When India’s Mars mission made headlines worldwide, skepticism loomed. Western media often reduced India’s triumphs to a poor country’s modest step into the elite space club. But India’s success—reaching Mars orbit on its very first attempt, something the US, Russia, and Europe failed to do—was monumental. Meanwhile, private space companies like SpaceX surged ahead commercially, launching fleets of satellites and capturing a booming $400 billion global market.
India, despite its world-class talent and ISRO’s remarkable records, was absent from this private space explosion. By 2020, private Indian companies legally couldn’t launch rockets, ceding lucrative commercial space opportunities—and the resulting jobs and investments—to foreign competitors. Indian engineers often left to work in California, powering the very companies India needed at home.
Enter Pawan and Bharat, the ex-ISRO scientists who launched Skyroot amid this challenging landscape with no clear regulations, funding, or connections. Many investors hesitated to back a business operating in a legal grey zone. But the founders’ vision caught the attention of Myntra and CureFit’s founder, Kunal Bansal, who provided an initial ₹10 crore investment, igniting a venture that quickly grew.
Skyroot spotted two critical gaps. First, ISRO prioritises national projects, so commercial satellite launches face years-long delays—slots booked today might not fly until 2027 or 2028. Second, SpaceX launches satellites into fixed orbits without tailored placement. This matters because certain missions require pinpoint orbits, like sun-synchronous orbits crucial to Earth observation satellites monitoring climate or security. SpaceX’s “train-like” approach drops all payloads at the same stations and angles, forcing customers to waste valuable fuel adjusting their satellites.
Skyroot took a different path: offering a highly customizable “Uber for space” experience. Their Vikram 1 rocket can deliver satellites to precise altitudes and inclinations, slashing fuel waste and extending satellite lifespans. Booking a launch with Skyroot can now feel as straightforward as ordering a cab.
So how did an illegal startup become a billion-dollar company and challenger to a trillion-dollar enterprise like SpaceX? The tectonic shift came in June 2020 when the Indian government ended ISRO’s monopoly, opening the space sector to private players. Now Skyroot accesses ISRO’s infrastructure—launchpads, test facilities—at heavily subsidized rates or free, bypassing the $100-$200 million costs American companies face building their own.
This support, combined with innovative 3D-printed rocket components and the cost efficiency of Indian engineering talent, lets Skyroot offer launches at roughly half the cost of competitors. They raised $15 million in 2021, then $50 million in 2022, fueling rapid growth and positioning Skyroot as a pioneer in a burgeoning $77 billion Indian space economy projected by decade’s end.
India’s private space sector is finally taking off. From fewer than 10 startups in 2019 to over 140 in recent years, entrepreneurs are flooding both the upstream—rockets, satellites, propulsion—and downstream markets like Earth observation applications, which can revolutionize agriculture, infrastructure monitoring, and disaster prediction across India.
The Skyroot story teaches three vital lessons: opportunity lies at market gaps—be it timing or precision; government policy can stall or accelerate entire industries; and visionaries can thrive even when the odds are stacked against them. As Pawan and Bharat’s journey shows, with the right reforms and a touch of daring, India’s space ambitions are no longer just dreams—they’re a fast-coming reality.
