rocket engine named Dhawan-1 In honor of Indian rocket scientist Satish Dhawan, it has been developed using 3D printing technology and features liquefied natural gas and liquid oxygen—a high-performance, low-cost and clean rocket fuel, the company said.
Pawan Kumar Chandana, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Skyroute Aerospace, said, “This completely ‘Made-in-India’ cryogenic engine, developed using 3D printing with Superalloy, reduces manufacturing time. Reduces by more than 95%.” “This trial makes us one of the very few companies in the world to successfully demonstrate this technology.”
Cryogenic engines are so named because of the use of propellants that are stored at cryogenic temperatures below negative 150 °C.
With this milestone, Skyroute has demonstrated all three propulsion technologies that will be used in the first series of small satellite launch vehicles, it said. In December last year, the company successfully test-fired its Kalam-5 solid propulsion rocket engine, a larger version of which will be used to power the lower stages of its Vikram rocket.
“The complex engine start and shut-off transitions[were]perfectly smooth, combustion was very stable, and the pressure was constant. This is a phenomenal achievement by our team and the mastery of handling two cryogenic fuels,” Said Padma Shri awardee V Gyangandhi, who heads the cryogenic propulsion team at SkyRoot.
SkyRoot is backed by Mukesh Bansal, promoter of renewable energy firm Greenco Group, explosives maker and ISRO supplier Solar Industries and CureFit founder Mukesh Bansal.
The company is looking to develop and manufacture rockets that will deliver small satellites into space at extremely low cost and with quick turnaround times. In addition to 3D printing to build rocket engines, Skyroute plans to use carbon composites to develop rocket cases, a material that is lighter than steel, yet stronger.
Skyroute also plans to be able to fire its rockets from portable launchers, something that will provide a lot of flexibility to the firms it partners with.
In September this year, the company became the first space tech firm
to formally enter into an agreement With the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to use its facilities and access its expertise to test and qualify its small satellite launch vehicles, the first launch of which is scheduled for 2022. skyroot
was a finalist In the Top Innovator category of the 2021 edition of The Economic Times Startup Awards.