# From Just 51 Marks in Maths to an ISRO Scientist Who Built a ₹9,000 Crore Rocket Company: The Pawan Kumar Chandana Story

> Pawan Kumar Chandana once scored only 51 marks in school maths, yet today he co-founds Skyroot Aerospace, India's largest private rocket maker, now valued at around $1.1 billion.

**Type:** article · **Category:** Success Stories · **Published:** 2026-06-17 · **Source:** TrendKia
**Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/success-stories/maithsa-men-51-nnbara-se-isro-saintista-taka-phira-9-hajara-karora-ki-roketa-knp-1408 · **Language:** English
**Tags:** Pawan Kumar Chandana, Skyroot Aerospace, Vikram-S, ISRO, Private Rocket Company, Space Startup, Success Story, IIT Kharagpur

A student who scores just 51 marks in school maths is rarely tipped to become a rocket scientist. Yet Hyderabad-born Pawan Kumar Chandana flipped that script completely. Today he is the co-founder of Skyroot Aerospace, India's largest private rocket manufacturing company, the very firm that made history by sending India's first privately developed rocket into space. The company is currently valued at around $1.1 billion, or more than ₹9,000 crore.

## An Unlikely Beginning
Pawan Kumar Chandana was born in 1991 into a middle-class family in Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana. He was drawn to machines and technology from childhood, but his academic performance was nothing that would turn heads. During his school days, he once managed only 51 marks in mathematics. Even so, his father refused to lose hope and enrolled him in coaching for the IIT-JEE. That decision proved to be the turning point. As he prepared for the entrance exam, not only did his studies pick up, but mathematics and science became subjects he genuinely loved.

## IIT Kharagpur and a Dream of Rockets
His effort paid off when he cleared the IIT-JEE on his very first attempt in 2007. He then secured admission to the prestigious IIT Kharagpur, where he earned a dual BTech-MTech degree in mechanical engineering. While many of his classmates were lining up high-salary jobs and planning careers abroad, Pawan found himself increasingly absorbed in rockets and space science.

## Becoming a Scientist at ISRO
In 2012, soon after completing his studies, Pawan joined the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as a scientist directly through campus placement. He got the chance to work at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. In the early years he was deeply content with his work and even dreamed of retiring from ISRO itself. Over nearly six years there, he worked on several crucial projects and contributed to some of India's biggest space programmes. He worked on the GSLV Mk-III, India's heaviest launch vehicle, helped develop the S-200 solid booster for the GSLV Mk-II, and served as deputy project manager on ISRO's Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) project. In recognition of his innovation and contribution, he received ISRO's internal innovation prize in 2016.

## The Bold Decision to Leave a Secure Job
While working at ISRO, a bigger idea began taking shape in Pawan's mind. He wanted to build a private space technology company in India. The hurdle was that at the time private companies were not even permitted to build rockets, and investment in the sector was almost non-existent. Despite this, he held on to his dream and in 2018 decided to give up his secure job at ISRO. It was far from an easy call, as he had neither business experience nor a large network of investors.

## A LinkedIn Message That Landed the First Investor
In his search for capital, Pawan took an unusual route. He sent a direct message on LinkedIn to Mukesh Bansal, the founder of Myntra, CureFit and NURX. As it happened, Mukesh Bansal was also an IIT Kharagpur alumnus. He believed in Pawan's vision and put in an initial investment of $1.5 million. That first cheque went on to become the foundation of one of India's biggest space startups.

## The Founding of Skyroot Aerospace
In June 2018, Pawan Kumar Chandana teamed up with his partner and fellow former ISRO engineer Naga Bharath Daka to set up Skyroot Aerospace in Hyderabad. Naga Bharath Daka is an alumnus of IIT Bombay and had also worked at ISRO. Soon after the company was founded, the coronavirus pandemic struck, making it even harder to raise funds. During this tough period, the founders of Greenko stepped in with financial support, and Skyroot's journey kept moving forward instead of stalling.

## The First Private Company to Test a Rocket Engine
In July 2020, Skyroot Aerospace reached another milestone, becoming the first private company in India to successfully test a rocket engine. This cryogenic engine was named Raman-1, in honour of the Nobel laureate scientist C.V. Raman.

## The Government Opens Up the Space Sector
The year 2021 brought a historic shift for India's space industry. For the first time, the central government opened the space sector to private companies, and the biggest beneficiary was Skyroot Aerospace. It became the first private Indian space company to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with ISRO. The company then raised $51 million in investment, counted among the largest in India's deep-tech sector at the time.

## India's First Private Rocket Reaches Space
The 18th of November 2022 was etched permanently into Indian space history. On that day, Skyroot Aerospace launched Vikram-S, India's first privately developed sub-orbital rocket. Lifting off from ISRO's launch centre at Sriharikota, the rocket climbed to an altitude of about 90 kilometres. The mission was named Mission Prarambh, which means beginning.

## PM Modi Inaugurates the New Factory
After the success of Vikram-S, Skyroot Aerospace grew rapidly. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the company's new state-of-the-art facility. Around this time the company expanded and its workforce rose to nearly 1,000. Today, Skyroot houses India's largest private rocket manufacturing unit. On 7 May 2026, the company took yet another big leap, raising $60 million through fresh funding.

## What this means for you
- **For students:** Pawan's story shows that one poor result or low score is not the end of a career; with the right direction and hard work the path can change completely.
- **For job seekers and entrepreneurs:** With India's private space sector now open and firms like Skyroot growing to nearly 1,000 employees, new jobs and investment opportunities are emerging in the field.

## Questions & Answers

### 1. Who co-founded Skyroot Aerospace?
Hyderabad-born Pawan Kumar Chandana, who set up the company in June 2018 along with former ISRO engineer Naga Bharath Daka.

### 2. When and where was the Vikram-S rocket launched?
It was launched on 18 November 2022 from ISRO's launch centre at Sriharikota and reached an altitude of about 90 kilometres. It was India's first privately developed sub-orbital rocket.

### 3. Where did Pawan Kumar Chandana get his first investment?
From Mukesh Bansal, founder of Myntra, CureFit and NURX, whom he messaged directly on LinkedIn and who put in an initial investment of $1.5 million.

### 4. What is Skyroot Aerospace currently valued at?
The company is valued at around $1.1 billion, which is more than ₹9,000 crore.

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