Skyroot Aerospace CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana got named in the TIME100 Next 2026 list. He started the Hyderabad-based firm in 2018 after working at ISRO. Chandana said, “I believe rockets are the most fascinating machinery ever built by humans.” His company now has a valuation of about $1.1 billion today.
Skyroot Aerospace co-founder and CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana has been named to TIME100 Next 2026, bringing fresh attention to the Indian space entrepreneur who helped build one of the country's most closely watched private rocket companies. Often described as the ‘Elon Musk of India’, Chandana moved from working on rockets at ISRO to building an orbital launch company from Hyderabad.
Who is Pawan Kumar Chandana?
Pawan Kumar Chandana is an aerospace scientist, space entrepreneur and co-founder of Skyroot Aerospace, the Hyderabad-based private space company he established with Naga Bharath Daka in 2018.
Before entering the private space sector, Chandana spent nearly six years at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), where he worked on some of India's major launch-vehicle programmes.
He joined ISRO in 2012 after graduating from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, with a dual degree in Mechanical Engineering and Thermal Science and Engineering. At ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Chandana worked on the GSLV Mk-III, including the solid-stage S200 system and the booster of the GSLV Mk-II.
He also worked on the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) as a deputy project manager and received two innovation awards during his time at ISRO.
From ISRO scientist to Skyroot Aerospace CEO
Pawan Kumar Chandana left ISRO in 2018 to co-found Skyroot Aerospace, betting that India could develop a globally competitive private space company at a time when commercial spaceflight was increasingly opening to new entrants.
His philosophy has centred on making access to space more commercially viable. Chandana has said: “I believe rockets are the most fascinating machinery ever built by humans, and are now in need of a new techno-economic makeover, to open up a new frontier in space access and exploration”.
Skyroot has since grown into a significant player in India's emerging private space industry. The company employs more than 1,000 people and has a valuation of about $1.1 billion.
Skyroot Aerospace and the Vikram-1 rocket
Skyroot's flagship programme is the Vikram series of rockets, named after Vikram Sarabhai, widely regarded as the father of India's space programme.
In July, the company's Vikram-1 rocket successfully carried two customer satellites into orbit. The mission marked a significant milestone for India's private space sector and put Skyroot alongside a growing group of commercial launch companies competing to expand access to orbit.
The global commercial launch market includes established US companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin, alongside newer players such as Europe's Isar Aerospace.
Following Isar Aerospace's orbital success in September, Pawan Kumar Chandana wrote on X: “The world... needs more orbital capacity and more teams pushing the frontier,”
Why Pawan Kumar Chandana is being called ‘Elon Musk of India’
Pawan Kumar Chandana's career has drawn comparisons with Elon Musk because of his transition from engineering and rocketry into private space entrepreneurship. The comparison also reflects the growing ambition of India's commercial space industry, where startups are attempting to build rockets and launch services for a global market.
Chandana, however, comes from a distinctly Indian spaceflight background. His early career was spent inside ISRO, where he worked on launch vehicles and gained experience in propulsion, systems engineering and rocket development before turning to entrepreneurship.
Skyroot's stated ambition has been to develop rockets in India for customers around the world, rather than building a company focused only on the domestic market.
Pawan Kumar Chandana's education and career
Pawan Kumar Chandana was born in Hyderabad, Telangana, in 1991 and completed his schooling in the city.
He studied at IIT Kharagpur from 2007 to 2012, earning a dual degree in Mechanical Engineering and Thermal Science and Engineering.
Skyroot Aerospace co-founder and CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana has been named to TIME100 Next 2026, bringing fresh attention to the Indian space entrepreneur who helped build one of the country's most closely watched private rocket companies. Often described as the ‘Elon Musk of India’, Chandana moved from working on rockets at ISRO to building an orbital launch company from Hyderabad.
Who is Pawan Kumar Chandana?
Pawan Kumar Chandana is an aerospace scientist, space entrepreneur and co-founder of Skyroot Aerospace, the Hyderabad-based private space company he established with Naga Bharath Daka in 2018.
Before entering the private space sector, Chandana spent nearly six years at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), where he worked on some of India's major launch-vehicle programmes.
After completing his studies, he joined ISRO in September 2012 and worked there until June 2018. His experience included the GSLV Mk-III, the S200 solid stage, the GSLV Mk-II booster and the SSLV programme.
In July 2018, he became co-founder and CEO of Skyroot Aerospace, a role he continues to hold.
Chandana's response to TIME100 Next 2026 recognition
Pawan Kumar Chandana acknowledged the recognition in a LinkedIn post, crediting the wider Skyroot team for the company's progress.
He wrote: “Grateful to TIME for the recognition.
This belongs to the entire Skyroot Aerospace team that put Vikram-1 in orbit — building from India, for the world. 🚀”