Skyroot Aerospace launches Kalpana fellowship for women in space sector

HYDERABAD: Skyroot Aerospace, India's leading space technology company, on Tuesday launched Kalpana Fellowship, marking a significant milestone as India's first-of-its-kind fellowship program dedicated exclusively to women in the space sector.

The Kalpana Fellowship is designed to inspire, encourage, and empower the next generation of female engineers to soar to new heights in the space industry. By providing a framework that facilitates working hands-on with cutting-edge space technology projects and advancing the profession through career opportunities at Skyroot, the fellowship aims to foster creativity, innovation, and leadership pathways for women aspiring to make substantial contributions to the field.

Pawan Chandana, co-founder, and CEO of Skyroot, stated, “We need more women in STEM and in the space sector, and women can bring in more innovation, creativity, and impact. Therefore, we conceived the Kalpana Fellowship to provide exciting opportunities for women engineers to work on cutting-edge space projects, receive mentorship from top experts, and gain access to world-class infrastructure at Skyroot.”

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Inspired by the legacy of astronaut Kalpana Chawla, the fellowship offers a unique, all-encompassing program featuring a monthly stipend, experiential learning, guidance from seasoned professionals, access to world-class infrastructure and innovative technologies at Skyroot Aerospace.

The program provides a monthly allowance for a year for successful candidates, with eligibility open to final-year students and recent graduates in relevant engineering disciplines to apply. The 2024 fellowship registration window is presently open.

Bharath Daka, co-founder and COO of Skyroot added, “We have launched a dedicated website through which potential candidates can register for the fellowship, and our teams are reaching out to various educational institutions across India to build awareness and provide an opportunity for a wider base of candidates to avail the opportunity. We eagerly anticipate welcoming the first batch of Kalpana Fellows in July 2024.”

Exceptional candidates who complete the one-year fellowship will have the opportunity to transition into full-time roles at Skyroot Aerospace. The pioneering company is home to a vibrant team of 300 space professionals dedicated to developing cutting-edge space launch vehicles and has the distinction of launching India’s first privately developed rocket into space.

The candidate selection is based on their performance in the three-stage selection process, designed to identify and assess the mental and academic competencies essential for a Kalpana Fellow to achieve the fellowship's envisioned goals.