Get All Access for $5/mo

Skyroot Aerospace Raises $51 Million, Boosting The Future Of Small Satellite Launches Skyroot Aerospace, an Indian Space-Tech startup has raised $51 Million (INR 403 Crore) in its Series-B financing round. This is the biggest funding round ever in Indian Space-Tech.

By Kabir Singh Bhandari

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Skyroot
Skyroot founders Pawan Kumar Chandana (right) & Naga Bharath Daka (left)

Skyroot Aerospace, an Indian Space-Tech startup has raised $51 Million (INR 403 Crore) in its Series-B financing round. This is the biggest funding round ever in Indian Space-Tech.

The funding round was led by GIC, and Mayank Rawat, Managing Director of GIC India Direct Investment Group shall be joining Skyroot's Board. The fresh round of funding follows in the footsteps of the Indian government's major push to the space sector by including private sector players.

This investment goes on to further authenticate Skyroot's strong points in space technology, giving a push to its capabilities so that it can tap into trillion-dollar space business opportunities. The company shall be catering to the increasing demand from the international small satellite market.

Skyroot is innovating India's first privately developed space launch vehicles. The flagship Vikram series of launch vehicles, was named after the founder of India's space program, Dr. Vikram Sarabhai. Vikram Series rockets are made with an all-carbon-fiber structure and can launch upto 800 kg of payloads to Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

Skyroot is the first startup to sign an MoU with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for sharing facilities and expertise. "We are proud to welcome one of the world's leading institutional investors as a long-term partner in our mission to 'Open Space for All'. This round puts us on a trajectory of hyper-growth by funding all of our initial developmental launches, and enables building infrastructure to meet high launch cadence required by our satellite customers. Our objective is to establish ourselves as a provider of best-in-class rocket launch services and the go-to destination for affordable and reliable small satellite launches." said Pawan Kumar Chandana, Co-Founder and CEO of Skyroot.

"We have validated all three propulsion technologies in our Vikram space launch vehicles, and completed a full duration test of one of our rocket stages in May'22. We are also planning a demonstrator launch to space this year. This round will help us get to full-fledged commercial satellite launch scale within a year from now. We have started booking payload slots for our upcoming launches.", said Naga Bharath Daka, Co-Founder and COO of Skyroot.

Rothschild & Co India are the financial advisors for this funding round and the added fund shall help in the expansion of the world class space engineering team which currently has around 200 employees.

The company has already completed crucial milestones towards the development of its commercial Space launch vehicles. With this round, Skyroot has expanded its marquee shareholder base including Myntra & CultFit founder Mukesh Bansal, Greenko Group founders (Anil Chalamalasetty & Mahesh Kolli), Solar Industries India Limited, Google board member Ram Shriram's Sherpalo Ventures, Neeraj Arora (Former-WhatsApp Global Business Chief), Wami Capital and others from past funding rounds.

Skyroot's mission is to 'Open Space for All', visualising a world where space flight is as affordable, regular and reliable as air flight. Skyroot has successfully built and tested India's first privately developed cryogenic, hypergolic-liquid, and solid fuel-based rocket engines; the R &D and production activities extensively use advanced composite and 3D-printing technologies.

Kabir Singh Bhandari

Former Senior Assistant Editor

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Growth Strategies

Amazon To Improve Services In Tier II, III Cities: Samir Kumar, Country Manager

The bigger share of our business is coming from Tier II,III and beyond, says Samir Kumar, country manager, Amazon India

News and Trends

AWE Funds to Scale Women-Led ClimateTech Initiatives with CGEF Grant

The grant will empower AWE Funds to expand initiatives, invest in women-led climate companies, enhance accelerator programs, and launch a fellowship nurturing young women professionals in climate and sustainability.

News and Trends

Former Cleartrip CEO Ayyappan R Eyes Quick Commerce with FirstClub

After stepping down as Cleartrip's CEO earlier this year, Ayyappan brings his expertise from leading positions at Flipkart, including his role as chief business officer at Myntra.

Business News

These Companies Offer the Best Work-Life Balance, According to Employees

The ranking is based on Glassdoor ratings and reviews.

News and Trends

Multiples Private Equity Leads INR 1000 Cr Funding in Shubham Housing

With the raised funds, the Gurugram-based platform aims to propel its growth trajectory, diversifying its product offerings and strengthening its national footprint.