India’s Skyroot tests key rocket engine, launches satellite later this year

Indian space startup Skyroot said it has test-fired the second stage of its Vikram-1 rocket.

New Delhi:

Indian space startup Skyroot said today it has test-fired the second stage of its Vikram-1 rocket, which is expected to put a satellite into orbit later this year.

According to a statement released by the company, the second stage of the Vikram-1 launch vehicle, called Kalam-250, is a high-strength carbon composite engine that will carry the rocket from the atmosphere to the deep vacuum of outer space.

The test launch of the Kalam-250, which took place at the propulsion test bed at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, lasted 85 seconds and recorded a peak sea-level thrust of 186 kilonewtons ( kN), which translates into a fully deployed vacuum thrust of approximately 235 kN in flight.

Pawan Chandana said: “This is a major milestone for the Indian space industry, marking the successful test of the largest propulsion system designed and built by the private sector in India and the first of its kind to be tested by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). Testing of a carbon composite engine.” – said the founder and CEO of Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace.

“All test parameters were within the expected range and this achievement brings us one step closer to the upcoming orbital launch of the Vikram-1 rocket,” he added.

Kalam-250 is a high-strength carbon composite rocket engine using solid fuel and a high-performance ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) thermal protection system (TPS).

The second stage houses a carbon-ablation curved nozzle as well as high-precision electromechanical actuators for thrust vector control of the vehicle, which helps the rocket achieve the desired trajectory.

“In this landmark test, we validated a key system for launch – the flexible nozzle control system – during the first launch, making this an important milestone in our journey.” Naga Bharath Daka, Co-Founder and chief operating officer Tian Gen said.

“We still have several milestones to cross and our focus is on achieving them in the coming months to achieve the first orbital launch of Vikram-1 in 2024,” he said.

The test also saw significant contribution from another ISRO centre, the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC), which provided its proprietary Head-Mounted Safety Arm (HMSA) for the rocket stage , safe operation of space launch. Said above.

The solid propellant in Kalam-250 is processed at Solar Industries’ unique facility in Nagpur.

Skyroot has previously tested Kalam-100, the third stage of Vikram-1, and successfully test-fired it in June 2021.

Skyroot test-launched Vikram-S in November 2022, becoming the first private company in India to launch a suborbital rocket.

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