BIG NEWS : India’s First Startup Skyroot Aerospace Successfully Test Fire Upper Stage Rocket Engine

On Aug 13, 2020

Hyderabad: Hyderabad based startup Skyroot Aerospace successfully tested an upper-stage rocket engine named ‘Raman’, which can place multiple satellites into orbit, a top official of the firm said on Thursday.

Unveiling our Raman Engine test firing footage!
1. 100% 3D Printed Injector
2. Metal-Matrix Composite throat
3. Multi-start capability
4. Long duration mission support
We dedicate this to the recent Space reform by @PMOIndia @narendramodi @nsitharaman https://t.co/PmSFyC2ppo
— Skyroot Aerospace (@SkyrootA) August 13, 2020

Founded by former scientists of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Skyroot is into building India’s first privately built space launch vehicles. The company was tightlipped on when the rocket engine was test-fired.

“We demonstrated India’s first 100 per cent 3D-printed Bi-Propellant Liquid Rocket Engine injector. Compared to traditional manufacturing this reduced the overall mass by 50 per cent, reduced total number of components and lead time by 80 per cent. The engine is capable of multiple restarts enabling them to insert various satellites into multiple orbits in a single mission,” Pawan Kumar Chandana, Co-Founder and CEO, Skyroot Aerospace said.

Skyroot has developed in-house software for launch vehicle guidance, navigation and control functions and testing for onboard avionics modules is in progress and the firm is targeting its first launch vehicle in December 2021, Naga Bharath Daka, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Skyroot said.

Skyroot will highly benefit from the newly-created Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN- SPACe)which allows access to ISRO’s testing and launch range facilities, Naga Bharath Daka said. The startup has so far raised Rs 31.5 crore till now and is in the process of raising another Rs 90 crore before 2021.