Space technology company Skyroot successfully launches an orbital rocket in stage two
NEW DELHI: The stage-2 Vikram-1 space launch vehicle, known as Kalam-250, was successfully test-fired from the Sriharikota spaceport by Hyderabad-based space tech firm Skyroot Aerospace, marking a significant step towards the spacecraft’s maiden orbital space launch.
As the launch vehicle ascends from the atmospheric phase to the dense vacuum of space, stage two, a crucial phase, is played out.
The launch of a private company’s Vikram-1 will be historic for the Indian space industry. The first private rocket launched by India, Vikram-S, was successfully launched into suborbital space by Skyroot in November 2022.
A maximum sea-level force of 186 kilonewtons (kN) was measured during the 85-second test. This corresponds to a fully expanded vacuum thrust of around 235 kN in flight. The high-strength carbon composite rocket motor Kalam-250 runs on solid fuel and has an efficient thermal protection system made of ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymers. The third stage of Vikram-1, known as Kalam-100, was successfully tested by Skyroot in June 2021.
“This is a significant milestone for the Indian space industry,” said Pawan Chandana, co-founder and CEO of Skyroot, “as it marks the successful test of the largest propulsion system ever designed and manufactured by the Indian private sector to date, as well as the first motor built of carbon composite tested at Isro.” With this accomplishment, we are one step closer to the imminent orbital flight of the Vikram-1 rocket, as all test parameters are within predicted ranges.
According to a press statement from the business, the test also greatly benefited from the participation of Isro’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), which provided its unique head-mounted safe arm for the test that was used to ensure the rocket stage operated safely.
“In this historic test, we validated the critical system for the launch—tthe flex nozzle control system—dduring firing for the first time, making this an important milestone in our journey,” said Skyroot’s co-founder and COO, Naga Bharath Daka. In order to launch the Vikram-1 into orbit for the first time in 2024, we still need to clear a few more milestones, which we are working to accomplish in the next few months.
