Rocket To Space In 15 Minutes? Amitabh Bachchan’s KBC Question Gets A Stunning Answer From Skyroot CEO

Mumbai: Amitabh Bachchan may have spent decades asking contestants tough questions on Kaun Banega Crorepati, but this time, the veteran actor had a question of his own and it was directed at two men who actually build rockets.

Skyroot Aerospace co-founders and CEOs Pawan Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka appeared alongside Bachchan on the Kaun Banega Crorepati 18 Independence Day special. During the conversation, Bachchan asked a question that sounded simple How long does a rocket take to reach space?

The audience appeared to have a much longer journey in mind. When one person suggested that it could take “one or two days”, Chandana’s answer came quickly “It just takes 15 minutes.” He then added a lighter touch, joking that it had taken him around an hour and a half to travel from the airport to the KBC set.

The exchange is particularly timely because Skyroot has just achieved a milestone that has changed the conversation around India’s private space industry.

On July 18, 2026, Hyderabad based Skyroot successfully launched Vikram-1 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The rocket reached a 450 km low Earth orbit in roughly 15 minutes, making it India’s first privately developed orbital rocket to accomplish the feat. The maiden mission, named Aagaman, also carried customer and technology demonstration payloads.

That achievement followed Skyroot’s earlier breakthrough in November 2022, when its Vikram S rocket became the first rocket launched by an Indian private space company to reach space.

Founded in 2018 by former ISRO engineers, Skyroot describes its mission in simple commercial terms providing on demand access to space for satellite operators. The company is now preparing for future Vikram-1 missions and developing Vikram-2, which is designed to carry payloads of up to one tonne to orbit.

Skyroot has also signed a multi launch agreement with Kerala based space technology firm HEX20, with three dedicated Vikram series launches planned beginning in the fourth quarter of 2027.

So, Bachchan’s seemingly straightforward KBC question produced an answer that is more remarkable than it first sounds. For Skyroot’s Vikram-1, reaching a 450 km orbit really did take only about 15 minutes a short journey that represents years of engineering, testing and ambition for India’s private space sector.

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