Skyroot successfully tests stage separation system for Vikram-1 rocket
Hyderabad: As spacetech startup
Skyroot Aerospace
gears up for the launch of
India's first privately built orbital rocket
, Vikram-1, into
low Earth orbit
(LEO) later this year, the company achieved yet another milestone. It successfully tested the
stage separation system
of the rocket.
As part of this, the Hyderabad-based startup tested the separation of stage 2 of the rocket from stage 3.
"Clean separation, smooth execution! Our team just nailed the stage separation test of Vikram-1. The ultra-low shock pneumatic separation system we developed in-house worked like a charm, smoothly separating Stage 2 from Stage 3 – in another boost to our journey to orbit!" Skyroot Aerospace said on social media platform X.
"Imagine separating two rocket stages in space within a few milliseconds – without generating a shock – pulling them apart by 1.2 metres with just a few cms of clearance between the nozzle and internal fuel tanks and propelling the separating stage with enough energy to reach the required jettisoning velocity within 0.2 seconds. This is what it takes to separate rocket stages in the deep vacuum of space – and we've now qualified our proprietary stage separation and jettisoning system for flight.
Another critical milestone on the path to the launch of Vikram-1," Pawan Kumar Chandana, Co-founder & CEO, Skyroot Aerospace, announced on X.
The latest test is part of the battery of tests conducted by Skyroot over the past couple of months in preparation for the launch of Vikram-1 later this year. These include the structural rigidity test of Kalam-1200, the carbon composite stage-1 motor that is touted as the longest monolithic motor casing developed in India using Skyroot's proprietary filament winding process.
Kalam-1200 will propel Vikram-1 from the ground through the Earth's atmosphere.
The startup also tested Raman 50N mini thrusters that will be integrated into Vikram-1's orbital adjustment module and provide pitch and yaw control during flight. Earlier in May this year, Skyroot also qualified Vikram-1's interstages, which are four load-bearing structures that will house the avionics, separation systems, and critical sensors and will play a key role in maintaining the structural integrity of the rocket throughout its ascent into orbit.
In April this year, Skyroot also ran pre-flight tests on the mission computer of the launch vehicle as well as the composite nozzle and flex nozzle control system of Kalam-1200, the first stage of the rocket.
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