Meet man, son of a truck driver, brain behind India’s first reusable hybrid rocket, failed in all subjects once, now owns Rs 800 crore company

The rocket is designed to gather important data about the Earth’s atmospheric factors like cosmic radiation, air quality and UV radiation. The rocket is equipped with three cube satellites and 50 PICO satellites.

Space Zone India successfully launched the nation’s first reusable hybrid rocket-RHUMI-1 on August 24, 2024. The rocket was launched using a mobile launch pad. The launch took place in the coastal village of Thiruvidandhai, Tamil Nadu.

Apart from technical advancement, one more factor important associated with the programme was the mind behind the Mission RHUMI-2024 programme.

Founder and CEO of Space Zone India, Dr Anand Megalingam who comes from a humble backdrop. He led the pathbreaking mission. In fact, it was his dream that turned into reality.

RHUMI-1 was developed to help in fighting climate change. The rocket is designed to gather important data about the Earth’s atmospheric factors like cosmic radiation, air quality and UV radiation. The rocket is equipped with three cube satellites and 50 PICO satellites.

As per Space Zone India, the data would help students and scientists patterns of climate and prepare strategies to fight global warming.

Dr Anand Megalingam’s journey is an inspiration for many. His resilience and hard work finally paid off. His father was a truck driver and mother was a homemaker. Dr Anand was not a good student initially.  He failed in all his subjects of the first semester of electrical and electronics degree. Later, his passion for sports earned him a seat in a private college where he found his love for aeronautical engineering, and he excelled in it.

Dr Anand’s startup journey was a tough one. He faced financial difficulties but his father’s sacrifices pushed him to do well. Today, Space Zone India is valued at Rs 800 crore  as it has backing of the central government, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and corporate funding.