`Kalam-100’: Skyroot Aerospace successfully test-fires India’s first private rocket engine

Chennai: Skyroot Aerospace has become the first company in the private sector to successfully test its Vikram-1 rocket’s third stage/engine.

‘Kalam-100’ produces a peak vacuum thrust of 100 kN (about10 tons) and has a burn time of 108 seconds. The rocket has been named after Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.

The rocket stage is built with a high-strength carbon fiber structure, solid fuel, Ethylene-Propylene-Diene terpolymers (EPDM) thermal protection system, and carbon ablative nozzle.

The rocket stage/engine has no moving parts and a high level of automation in manufacturing.

“Full duration stage level testing is a major milestone for the development of our flagship orbital vehicle Vikram-1. The stage has delivered excellent performance and this success gives great confidence for our other rocket stages planned to be tested soon,” Pawan Kumar Chandana, Co-Founder, and CEO.

“This is best in class rocket stage of this size, with record propellant loading and firing duration, and using the all-carbon composite structure for delivering best performance,” added Naga Bharath Daka, Co-Founder and COO.

The rocket’s stage was tested at the facilities of Solar Industries India Ltd, one of the investors in Skyroot.

“This is the largest rocket stage ever designed, manufactured, and tested completely in the Indian private sector. We are proud to be a part of this achievement by supporting the propellant processing and static testing at our world-class facilities in Nagpur,” said Manish Nawal, MD, and CEO of Solar Industries.

“State-of-the-art technology like carbon composite case, high propellant volumetric loading up to 94 percent, lighter EPDM based thermal protection system, and submerged nozzle have been validated through the successful static test,” said Eswaran V.G., a veteran Indian rocket scientist and Vice President of Propulsion at Skyroot Aerospace.