...The Vikram-S rocket aimed at validating 80 per cent of technologies that will be used in the Vikram-1 orbital vehicle, planned for launch next year. The rocket carried three payloads built by Andhra Pradesh-based N Space Tech India, Chennai-based start-up Space Kids, and Armenian BazoomQ Space Research Lab....
...The 2.5 kg Space Kidz India payload was a satellite built by middle school students from India, Indonesia, Singapore, Seychelles, and the US, CEO and founder Srimathy Kesan told ThePrint. It contained a a microcontroller and ten sensors designed on eighty 4 cm x 4 cm printed circuit boards (PCB boards). The sensors were for measuring temperature, humidity, pressure, volatile organic compounds and gases, light and Hall effect. There are also infrared sensors, gyroscope, accelerometer and magnetometer.“As part of our vision to make space as accessible and economical and provide hands-on experience for children we have named the satellite FunSat,” Kesan added.The other Indian payload was called LakshyaSat-2 and was a 200g, 1U (unit) cubesat built by Tenali-based startup N-space Tech, with sensors.“The purpose of the mission is to test if the payload can withstand the harsh space environment,” said founder and director Divya Kurapati. “The next version will fly to low earth orbit with Skyroot in the future.”The third payload was an international satellite from the education non-profit Bazoomq Space Research Lab in Yerevan, Armenia....The rocket was powered by solid fuel and uses all-composite materials. It also used 3D-printed solid thrusters for spin stability....Next for the company is the launch of its Vikram-1 commercial vehicle with three solid stages and one liquid stage (solid and liquid propellants) towards the end of 2023.
It is not just rocket fuel that successfully fired the Vikram-S, but the sweat, perseverance, emotions and teamwork of a band of people from across skillsets and specializations, bonded together by the passion to achieve. Our champions!#Prarambh #OpeningSpaceForAll
Presenting to you, the riveting moments of India’s first private rocket launch. Watch the beauty of Vikram-S lift-off unfolding before your eyes, captured by the highspeed camera at over 1,000 frames per second. #Prarambh #OpeningSpaceForAll
Our Vikram-S launch is a landmark that triggered a lot of euphoria, and leaves behind a legacy of sorts that include top-of-the-rack tech and craft of people who built it. Get a glimpse of what went behind closed doors to make Vikram-S a winner at the very first launch.#Prarambh
Building Vikram-S has been extremely challenging than what we imagined when we started it 2yrs ago. It experiences 16g’s & 8 times the aerodynamic and thermal stress vs the Vikram-1. Getting the aero and flight dynamics right was a nightmare needing a ton of simulations & tests.
Building a rocket and launching it to Space is highest levels of precision and perfection at play. No wonder why it’s so difficult &very few companies achieved. Extremely happy we cracked it in 1st attempt. Journey has been learnings for a lifetime for @SkyrootA team🚀#Prarambh
As India's first private rocket, the Vikram-S, soared into the skies making history, it elated every one who believed in the potential of space technologies including our payload customers. Here’s a glimpse of the customer payloads carried to space.#Prarambh #OpeningSpaceForAll
The Swadeshi Rocketeers sums up Vikram-S launch & buoyant emotions of success and impact. This superb piece by space editor @pallavabagla and @News9Plus portrays evolution of space sector through pioneering efforts of our inspiring space scientists.Link:
2022 has been a memorable year and a great beginning for Team @SkyrootA through the success of mission #Prarambh Humbling to get featured with @bharathdaka on the cover of @IndiaToday this month, with a wonderful article inside from @rajchengappa on Vikram-S launch &Pvt sector
Skyroot Aerospace successfully tested ‘Dhawan-II’ on 31st March 2023, the upgraded version of 'Dhawan- I' India’s first privately developed Fully-Cryogenic rocket engine which was test fired in Nov'21. The engine which is completely 3D printed has undergone long duration endurance test for 200 seconds, a record for Skyroot, making it a major milestone for our Cryogenic program. The engine has been named in honour of eminent Indian Space scientist Dr. Satish Dhawan.Dhawan - II uses Liquid Natural Gas (more than 90% Methane) and Liquid Oxygen as cryogenic propellants, which are high-performance, low-cost, and green. This engine has a vacuum thrust of around 3.5kN at total area ratio and will be used in the upper stage of our orbital vehicle Vikram-2. The mobile test stand was indigenously developed by Skyroot and test firing was conducted in one of its kind facility of our partner Solar Industries at Nagpur.
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.