Skyroot Aerospace Successful Test Stage-2 of Vikram-1 Rocket

Space News ,India :-  Skyroot Aerospace, a company based in Hyderabad, is making big strides in space exploration. They recently tested the Stage-2 of their Vikram-1 space launch vehicle, named Kalam-250, at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

This test is a big deal because it's part of India's first private orbital rocket launch. Skyroot had previously launched India's first private rocket, the Vikram-S, into suborbital space in November 2022.

During the test, which lasted 85 seconds, the rocket reached a peak sea-level thrust of 186 kilonewtons (kN). When it's in flight, this will translate to a fully expanded vacuum thrust of around 235kN. The Kalam-250 rocket motor is made of strong carbon composite and uses solid fuel. It's also equipped with a high-performance Ethylene-Propylene-Diene terpolymers (EPDM) thermal protection system (TPS) to keep it safe during launch.

The Stage-2 of the rocket has some important features. It includes a carbon ablative flex nozzle and high-precision electro-mechanical actuators for thrust vector control. These features help the rocket stay on the right path during its journey. The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), another part of ISRO, contributed to the test by supplying its proprietary head-mounted safe arm (HMSA), which ensures the safe operation of the rocket stage.

The solid propellant used in the Kalam-250 rocket was made by Solar Industries at their special facility in Nagpur. This test is a crucial step in the Vikram-1 launch because Stage-2 propels the rocket from the atmosphere into the deep vacuum of outer space.

Pawan Chandana, Co-Founder and CEO of Skyroot, expressed his excitement about the milestone. He said, "This test marks the successful test of the largest propulsion system ever designed and manufactured by the Indian private sector. It's also the first carbon-composite-built motor tested at ISRO. Everything went as planned, and this brings us closer to the upcoming orbital launch of the Vikram-1 rocket."

Naga Bharath Daka, Co-Founder and COO of Skyroot, emphasized the importance of the test. He said, "We validated the critical flex nozzle control system during firing for the first time. This is a significant milestone in our journey. We have more milestones ahead and are focused on reaching our maiden orbital launch of the Vikram-1 in 2024. Our incredible team, along with the support from IN-SPACe and ISRO, has been key to our progress."

This successful test is a major achievement for Skyroot Aerospace and marks a significant step forward in India's space exploration journey.