A Hyderabad startup, founded in 2018, has signaled the dawn of a new innovative era in the high-stakes world of space.
Spacing triumphs usually take decades of grit, tenacity, and relentless exposure to new learnings and state-of-the-art technology. The tireless resolve, vigorous alertness, and zealously unwavering mission-critical mode is veritably harder to clock than a rocket’s escape velocity. So when a start-up founded just four years ago achieves a significant feat in the most competitive turf, then it certainly signifies a paradigm shift.
Skyroot Aerospace, a Hyderabad-based space tech start-up founded in 2018, has become the first Indian company to launch a private rocket.
Vikram-S, named after Vikram Sarabhai, who is widely hailed as the Father of the Indian Space Program, blasted into outer space from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, ISRO’s launch facility, around November 18. It is a six-metre-long rocket that weighs around 550 kgs, and carries three payloads.
The launchers were designed using carbon composites, and the thrusters were 3D printed. Skyroot is also working on India’s first privately-built cryogenic rocket engine which will be called Dhawan.
The demonstrative mission, called Prarambh (The Beginning) turned out true to its name, literally as well as metaphorically, as it unrolled a new page in the saga of Indian space.
Proper Regulatory Support
The quest for an indigenous Space X and the creation of a scalable domestic hub are quite old, but with the advent of liberalized policies and conducive support, things seem to be heading in the right direction.
“Over the last two years, we have seen policy development occur at a very rapid pace. This has been a major motivator for a startup like us. In 2018, we were confident about the launch services market and our capabilities to build launch vehicles,” says Pawan Kumar Chandana, CEO & Co-founder, Skyroot Aerospace.
He underscores the driving factor as strong market demand which emerged from the launch of thousands of commercial small satellites in the past few years.
“We plan to cater to the burgeoning demand from the international small satellite market. Our next launch will take place within the next year, and it will carry client payloads and deploy them to orbit. By the end of 2025, we want to consistently make two launches every month”, he adds.
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Mentorship Mechanism
To keep the abiding company vision in symphony with market demand and customer expectations, strong support from established players is crucial.
Mentorship and initial hand-holding have a significant role in the grueling start-up journey of self-identification, re-assessment, and impactful transformation.
Skyroot was the first Indian startup to sign an MoU with Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for sharing facilities and technical expertise. Subsequently, it also became the first to get authorized by InSPACE, which oversees policy and regulatory aspects of commercial space business.
“As the mentor and regulator of the Indian space sector, the support and encouragement we have received from ISRO and IN-SPACe all through the conception, preparation and execution of the Vikram-S has been outstanding. IN-SPACe helped Skyroot in authorizing the launch and ISRO provided it with the infrastructure for undertaking several tests and integration activities, along with the launch facilities”, says Chandana.
“The transfer of technology clause in India’s upcoming space policy will be crucial since this would allow firms like us to use decades of expertise and research that ISRO. It will also allow us to continue using infrastructure and facilities built by ISRO,” adds Naga Bharat Daka, COO & Co-Founder, Skyroot Aerospace.
“Public funded space programs world over set precedence for and enabled the private sector to take the baton forward. We believe both will continue to play key roles in space technologies over the coming years,” adds Chandana.
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Stirring Influence
From the heydays of the Cold War, when space was the fraught arena of superpower rivalry for prestige and influence, to its eventual opening up to the private sector, there has been a landmark transformation. This is nothing short of a revolution in communication, monitoring, tracking, and analysis.
Spectacular performance of the heavyweight mavericks and trailblazers, despite numerous odds stacked against them, has been an inspiration to spacing enthusiasts, observers, and budding entrepreneurs.
“SpaceX has been a big inspiration not only to us, but the entire space industry. For the past 20 years, they have repeatedly demonstrated their abilities by finding solutions to the most pressing issues facing the space industry,” says Daka.
Electrified by the prodigious inspiration and keeping firm faith in their own mission and capabilities, Daka remains optimistic about the immense potential and the role of Skyroot to address pertinent Indian issues.
“We believe in playing a meaningful role in the global space market, and to solve challenging problems in our own unique way. We made a humble beginning with Vikram- S and this will be our launch pad to make our mark globally, a path which SpaceX took when they started off years ago,” he adds.
Underlying Philosophy
A company which is adapting for the long-haul needs a spirited guiding philosophy, which rouses it into action, serves as its ethical compass, as well as auto adjusting mechanism to prevent drifting and getting unmoored. Skyroot has a clarity of vision, which is expressed simply but is quite ambitious in scope.
“Our vision to start Skyroot was to build one of the most cost-effective space launch vehicles in the world with a goal of Opening Space for All,” says Chandana.
“Spaceflight will offer new horizons in space-based services and exploration once it is as reliable and economical as air travel, which will enhance our quality of life. In the ensuing decades, our quest is to help achieve it our own way,” adds Daka.
While democratization and ease-of-access for all may mean different things to different people, but in the realm of space, there’s a near unanimity on what these terms connote – creating a level playing field for space launches by removing barriers and other institutional deadlocks.
