‘Dhawan-1’, the India’s first privately developed fully cryogenic rocket engine has been tested successfully at city-based Solar Industries test facility, recently. The cryogenic rocket engine is developed and tested by Skyroot Aerospace, Hyderabad at Solar Industries propulsion test facility in Nagpur. The rocket engine runs on two high-performance rocket propellants - Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) and Liquid Oxygen (LoX). Last year, this Hyderabad-based company used the same facility in Nagpur to test fire a solid propulsion rocket stage named ‘Kalam-5’. It was the first time in India that a private company successfully designed, developed and tested a full solid propulsion rocket stage.

 

To continue their success story, both the companies joined hands and worked on ‘Dhawan 1’ rocket engine which is named after eminent Indian rocket scientist Dr Satish Dhawan, who played an instrumental role in the development of the Indian Space Programme. Cryogenic engines are highly efficient rocket propulsion systems that use propellants at cryogenic temperatures (less than -150 degree Celsius). Fully cryogenic engines are highly suitable for the upper stages of a rocket. They have a higher specific impulse that enhances the payload carrying capability. This technology is challenging to master and has been demonstrated only by six countries. This test demonstrates the propulsion technology in the upper stage of Skyroot’s orbital vehicle ‘Vikram-2’ which is set to launch in 2023. “With this milestone, we have successfully demonstrated all the three propulsion technologies in our Vikram series of space launch vehicles in the first attempt itself, exhibiting great maturity of our team,” said Naga Bharath Daka, Co-Founder and CEO, Skyroot Aerospace in a press release.

 

“The engine used Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) and Liquid Oxygen at cryogenic temperatures as propellants, which are safe, low-cost, green, and high performance. These are the rocket propellants of the future, and this test makes us one of the very few companies in the world to have successfully demonstrated this technology,” stated Pawan Kumar Chandana co-Founder and CEO, Skyroot Aerospace. “Designing, realising and testing cryogenic rocket engine fully in the private sector is a great milestone for the country. Solar Industries is proud to partner with Skyroot in carrying out this test successfully in our first of its kind, world class facility in India. We wish Team Skyroot all the best in their journey to space,” informed Manish Nuwal, MD and CEO of Solar Industries India.