Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace successfully test fires engine of Vikram-1 rocket

Hyderabad-based space tech startup Skyroot Aerospace on May 19 announced the successful completion of a full duration test-firing of its Vikram-1 rocket engine, the country’s first privately designed and developed rocket.

Vikram-1 has three solid fuel-powered stages. Each stage has a burn time ranging between 80 and 108 seconds. The third stage, or the engine, of Vikram-1, ‘Kalam-100’, produces a peak vacuum thrust of 100 kN (or around 10 tons) and has a burn time of 108 seconds. It has been named after former president and rocket scientist APJ Abdul Kalam, the startup said.

"The stage has delivered excellent performance and this success gives great confidence for our other rocket stages planned to be tested soon,” said Skyroot co-founder and CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana said.

Staging means a combination of different rocket sections (stages) that fire in an order and then detach so that it can reach space.

The rocket stage is built with high-strength carbon fibre, solid fuel, EPDM thermal protection system, and carbon ablative nozzle, the statement said, adding that the stage has no moving parts and was manufactured using automation.

"State-of-the-art technology like carbon composite case, high propellant volumetric loading upto 94 percent, lighter EPDM based thermal protection system, and submerged nozzle have been validated through the successful static test,” said Eswaran VG, a rocket scientist and vice president of propulsion at Skyroot.

Earlier, in January, Skyroot Aerospacce announced raising $4.5 million in a bridge round to Series-B led by early Google investor Ram Shriram through his venture capital firm Sherpalo ventures.

The company had in 2021 raised $11 million in Series-A round led by Greenko founders, while $1.5 million of seed round was funded by Myntra and CureFit founder Mukesh Bansal.