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In focus
- Skyroot CEO gets real on why it isn’t chasing SpaceX
- Sea Group records revenue surge to US$7.8 billion in Q2
- Spotlight: VinGroup hitches a ride with Musk to space
Hello reader,
For India-based scientist and spacetech founder Pawan Kumar Chandana, the ambition to become an entrepreneur traces back to childhood. He was fascinated by how founders make an impact on society by creating jobs, building infrastructure, and generating wealth.
That ambition eventually led him to leave the Indian Space Research Organisation and co-found Skyroot Aerospace in 2018. The spacetech unicorn has since raised US$150 million and built what it describes as one of the world’s lowest-cost rockets.
Skyroot’s Vikram 1 rocket successfully lifted off last month, giving Chandana relief as he hadn’t expected everything to go right. As an engineer, he knew “there are a zillion things that can go wrong in every rocket launch.”
He was also aware that globally, no completely new launch vehicle had ever succeeded on its first attempt. No wonder the successful launch served as a validation that Skyroot had built something world-class from India.
This, and more in our interview with Chandana, who also explains why the company doesn’t see itself competing head-on with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Samreen Ahmad, Journalist
Top Stories
1️⃣ Skyroot’s frugal rocket formula and why it won’t follow SpaceX
Image credit: Ulla
If SpaceX is like a space train moving passengers between fixed hubs, Skyroot Aerospace is more like a cab taking people directly where they need to be. Chandana says it is not trying to face off with SpaceX because it solves a different problem: access to space.
Unlike SpaceX’s rockets that serve large-scale, shared launches, Skyroot aims to offer dedicated rides for customers with more specific orbital paths and scheduling requirements.
2️⃣ Sea Group’s financial health in 7 charts
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