The Rise of India’s Private Space Sector

SavageKing456

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Skyroot Aerospace test-fires 3D-printed cryogenic engine for 2024 rocket
2 min read . Updated: 04 Apr 2023, 08:33 PM IST
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Shouvik Das
The new engine, Dhawan-II, is more powerful than its predecessor, offering 3.5 kilo-Newton (kN) of thrust — in comparison to the 1kN thrust that Dhawan-I can produce.
The new engine, Dhawan-II, is more powerful than its predecessor, offering 3.5 kilo-Newton (kN) of thrust — in comparison to the 1kN thrust that Dhawan-I can produce.
Naga Bharath Daka, COO and cofounder of Skyroot, said that the engine will enhance the payload capacity of the company’s Vikram lineup of rockets, which will be used to launch satellites into low-Earth orbits
Private homegrown space startup, Skyroot Aerospace, on Tuesday announced a successful test-firing of its second fully 3D-printed cryogenic engine, Dhawan-II, for a 200-second duration. This is the second cryogenic rocket that has been successfully test-fired by Skyroot, following the Dhawan-I engine that was tested in November 2021. The engine will feature in a future rendition of the company’s 3D-printed, privately built rockets, the company confirmed in a press statement.


Naga Bharath Daka, chief operating officer and cofounder of Skyroot, said that the engine will enhance the payload capacity of the company’s Vikram lineup of rockets, which will be used to launch satellites into low-Earth orbits.


The new engine, Dhawan-II, is more powerful than its predecessor, offering 3.5 kilo-Newton (kN) of thrust — in comparison to the 1kN thrust that Dhawan-I can produce. While the latter is tipped to be used in Skyroot’s Vikram-I rocket that is scheduled to launch later this year, Dhawan-II will power the company’s second-generation rocket, Vikram-II, which will succeed the Vikram-I.


On March 6, Pawan Kumar Chandana, chief executive of Skyroot, told Mint that the company is looking to conduct multiple commercial launches with Vikram-I, following the commencement of its launch services later this year. “The development of Vikram-II will continue simultaneously," the executive added.

Cryogenic engines are said to be better suited to power long-range and long-duration first stages of a rocket, which in turn can lead to increased range and trajectories of satellite launching rockets. This could be beneficial in giving rockets added versatility in terms of the range of distance that orbits that they can cover.

Skyroot said in a statement that its latest cryogenic engine, Dhawan-II, used two rocket propellants — liquid natural gas (LNG) and liquid oxygen (LOX) that are stored at temperatures of below -150 degrees Celsius. The used fuels are also environmentally friendlier when compared to solid semi-cryogenic rocket fuels, the company claimed.
Video of test
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Varoon2

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First time hearing of this company. 80 kg satellite to be launched next week on board Space X vehicle. Docked a notch for being a joint venture with a German company. Still, pretty good:)


Ahmedabad-based Azista BST Aerospace is set to launch its first satellite, ABA First Runner (AFR), aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket this month. The launch comes at a time when the Indian space tech ecosystem is experiencing rapid growth, thanks to the approval of the Indian Space Policy and increased interest from foreign venture capitalists.

Azista BST Aerospace (ABA) is a joint venture between Azista Industries Pvt. Ltd. and Berlin Space Technologies
 

Varoon2

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Indx TechStyle

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etherealX seems fake.
I doubt,they got ex-isro guys
How they will manage to build engines that take 26T to LEO, even ISRO not reached there ?
EtherealX guy and EtherealX plans were always impractical pipe dreams. It's known from day 1. They were all for promotion with zero real substance just to raise funds.

If things were all about, making theoretical and empirical postulations, Belgium and Italy would have colonies on Mars.
EtherealX isn't even close to Skyroot, AgniKul or even Bellatrix who cancelled its SSLV programs.
 

Indx TechStyle

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Thrilled to announce the successful flight qualification testing of our Raman-I engine used for roll attitude control of the Vikram-I rocket. As the first ever test done at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) of @isro by a private company, this test is special. Many thanks to LPSC and @INSPACeIND teams for their incredible support all through.


Stay tuned for more updates...
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