KBC 18: India’s journey into the private space age took centre stage on Kaun Banega Crorepati 18 on Friday, August 14, as Skyroot Aerospace co-founders Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka joined Amitabh Bachchan for the Independence Day special episode.

Fresh from the historic success of Vikram-1, the duo spoke about building a private space company in India, their journey from ISRO to entrepreneurship, what rockets and satellites actually do, and why opening up the space sector to private players could allow ISRO to focus on larger scientific missions. The Skyroot founders also took on the KBC hot seat, answering questions on their way to winning Rs 12.5 lakh.

Check this space on Monday to learn more about the toughest question on the latest episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati 18. We will be bringing you the question and the story behind it.

‘Skyroot is like a space taxi’

Explaining the work done by Skyroot in simple terms, Chandana offered a comparison that made the complicated world of rockets and satellites easier to understand.

He described Skyroot as being like a “space taxi” — a service that takes satellites into space on rockets.

The founders explained that satellites have become an integral part of everyday life. They are used for communication, navigation and GPS, while weather satellites help scientists track phenomena such as cyclones and forecast weather conditions days in advance.

On July 18, 2026, Skyroot’s Vikram-1 became the first privately developed Indian orbital rocket to successfully launch from Indian soil and reach orbit on its maiden attempt. The rocket lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota and placed payloads into a low Earth orbit of about 450 km. ISRO described it as the first time a private Indian company had undertaken an orbital rocket launch from Indian soil — and highlighted the fact that it succeeded on its first attempt.

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The achievement also put India in an exclusive group of countries where a private company has demonstrated orbital launch capability.

Skyroot founders get standing ovation

The Skyroot founders received a standing ovation from the audience after discussing their achievement.


Bachchan, who has hosted KBC for 25 years, also pointed out how rare the moment was. He said he had rarely seen the audience rise from their seats to applaud a contestant on the hot seat.

Skyroot founders win Rs 12.5 lakh on KBC

As special guests on the Independence Day episode, the Skyroot founders began their KBC game at Rs 25,000. Their opening question was a Mahasawaal, which comes without multiple-choice options. They were asked, “What is the SI unit of temperature?” The founders answered “Kelvin” correctly, earning the Mahaflip lifeline.

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Their last question in the game was for Rs 12.5 lakh. The question was: “The first known use of the abbreviation OMG to mean ‘Oh My God’ was in a 1917 letter addressed to which personality?” The options were – Franklin D. Roosevelt, J.R.R. Tolkien, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill. After using a lifeline, they answered correctly and said Winston Churchill.

The first known recorded use of “O.M.G.” in this sense is traced to a 1917 letter written by British admiral John Arbuthnot “Jacky” Fisher to Winston Churchill. The letter used the abbreviation while discussing newspaper headlines and a proposed order of knighthood.

With the clock running out, the founders did not get an opportunity to continue the game. Unlike regular contestants, whose games can continue into the following episode, Chandana and Daka were part of the special Independence Day guest segment. As a result, their game ended with the episode and their winnings stood at Rs 12.5 lakh.