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Leading space-tech company Skyroot Aerospace on Wednesday successfully test-fired stage-2 of its Vikram-1 launch vehicle at the propulsion testbed of the ISRO at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
Launch vehicles comprise multiple stages.
Stage-2, called Kalam-250, is critical during the ascent of the launch vehicle since it will propel the rocket through the earth’s atmosphere and into the vacuum of space.
The Vikram-1 launch will be a landmark event for the Indian space sector as it will be the country’s first private orbital rocket launch.
It follows the suborbital launch of India’s first private rocket — the Vikram-S by Skyroot in November 2022, said an official press release.
Vikram-1 launch vehicle
The Vikram-1 is part of a series of launch vehicles called Vikram.
Its developed by Skyroot Aerospace, an Indian private space company.
These are small-lift launch vehicles designed for placing small satellites into orbit.
The Vikram-1 itself is a three-stage solid rocket with a fourth stage using liquid fuel for final adjustments in orbit.
It is designed to carry a payload of 290 kg to a Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO) at 500 km altitude, or 480 kg to a 500 km Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at a 45-degree inclination.
The first successful test flight of a Vikram rocket was a suborbital flight on November 18, 2022, named Mission Prarambh (meaning "beginning"). This mission used the Vikram-S rocket.
A successful test firing of the second stage of the Vikram-1, named Kalam-250, was performed on February 22, 2024.
This is a major step towards the first orbital launch of a Vikram-1 which is expected in Q1 of 2024.
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