In a phone conversation following the launch, Modi told Chandana and the Skyroot team that they had “planted new seeds in the sky” and given strength to young Indians to dream bigger in technology and space.
“You have worked hard with commitment… you have worked and shown,” the PM said. He said the success would inspire young people across the country to trust their abilities, work hard and deliver results.
Chandana thanked the PM for his encouragement and said Skyroot’s rocket had carried a card sent by Modi into space, with the words “Vande Mataram” written on it.
“Vande Mataram is in orbit,” Chandana told the PM.
Modi said the message had special significance as the country marks 150 years of “Vande Mataram”, adding that the phrase has long inspired India’s youth. He said Skyroot’s mission was not just about reaching space but about taking India to new heights, bringing new technologies to this generation and encouraging more young people to enter advanced technology sectors.
Chandana described the launch as a historic achievement for India’s private space sector, saying Skyroot had become the first Indian private company to build and successfully place a rocket in orbit on its first attempt.
“This is a 100% designed in India rocket, 100% manufactured in India,” Chandana said, adding that the Skyroot team’s average age is just 28.
He credited the government’s decision to open up the space sector to private players, saying that when Skyroot began in 2018, there was no clear policy framework, limited funding environment and little private-sector talent pool in space technology.
“We left our jobs and started Skyroot,” he said. “Now we are very proud that the government has enabled us and opened up the sector to private players.”
The PM said Skyroot’s success showed India’s capability to become self-reliant in a critical sector. “The proof is in front of us,” he said, congratulating the team again.
Speaking later, Chandana called the launch a “historic moment not just for Skyroot, but for India and also the entire global space sector”. He said reaching orbit in the first attempt was something he had never thought possible, but the Skyroot team had made it happen.
He described the launch as “nothing short of a suspense movie”, saying the team experienced intense highs before the mission ended in success.
Chandana also thanked ISRO and IN-SPACe for enabling the launch, saying the authorisation process was completed in record time with “zero delay” for India’s first private orbital launch.
“This is a 100% designed in India rocket, 100% made in India rocket, built by 100% Indian people, for India, for the world,” he said.
Calling the mission a collective national achievement, Chandana said the success reflected the strength of India’s talent and the rise of the country’s space-tech ecosystem.
“It was not Skyroot, it was not IN-SPACe, it was not ISRO… everybody’s heart was beating for India,” he said. “It’s one nation, one mission for the world.”