Vikram-S successfully lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, at 11.30 a.m. on Friday. The mission aims to place the payload in a about 500-kilometer low-inclination orbit.
3D-printed components and carbon composite structures using advanced technologies have been used in Vikram-S. The in-built technology offers unique capabilities like multi-orbit insertion and interplanetary missions while providing customized, dedicated, and ride-share options covering a wide spectrum of small satellite customer needs.
It carries with it three PCB-based payloads from three different companies (Space Kidz India, Bazoomq Armenia, and N-Space Tech India), which are equipped with sensors for the measurement of acceleration, pressure, and other aspects. The rocket generated a vacuum thrust of seven tons, going hypersonic at a speed of Mach 5, which is five times the speed of sound.
A Chennai-based aerospace startup, Spacekidz, will fly ‘Fun-Sat’, a 2.5 kg payload developed by students from India, the US, Singapore, and Indonesia, on the sub-orbital flight onboard Vikram-S.
Vikram-S is the first privately built small rocket, which is just a six-meter-long suborbital rocket. It is a single-stage suborbital rocket powered by solid-fuel propulsion. Skyroot’s launch is named ‘Vikram’ as a tribute to the founder of the Indian space program and renowned scientist Vikram Sarabhai.
The company was founded by former engineers and scientists from ISRO. It aims to develop and launch its series of small lift launch vehicles especially crafted for the small satellite market.
Skyroot has successfully built and tested India’s first privately developed cryogenic, hypergolic-liquid, and solid fuel-based rocket engines using advanced composite and 3D-printing technologies.
The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe), Department of Space (DOS), on Thursday, said it had authorized the rocket launch with three satellites. They said, “This rocket will help validate the technologies for the VIKRAM Series orbital vehicle”, which they are planning to launch in the coming year.
