Skyroot Aerospace successfully tests a 3D-printed rocket engine

Indian private rocket maker Skyroot Aerospace this week announced a successful test of its 3D-printed cryogenic engine, Dhawan-II, for 200 seconds. The test, conducted at Solar Industries’ propulsion facility in Nagpur, Maharashtra, used Skyroot’s locally developed mobile cryogenic engine test platform, and the engine used LNG (liquefied natural gas) as propellant.

green booster

This news follows the launch of Vikram-S in November 2022, which marked Skyroot as the first private Indian company to send a rocket into space. Pawan Kumar Chandana, co-founder and CEO of Skyroot Aerospace, expressed pride in the company’s achievements and his position at the forefront of the Indian private space sector, pushing the boundaries with advanced technologies such as 3D printing and “green” propellants. “.

Just to clarify, in rocket terms, a “green” propellant is not necessarily one that is “good” for the environment, it just means that it is a propellant that has low toxicity and is safer to handle than something like rocket fuel. hydrazine, which will burn the skin and practically kill you (horribly).

The Dhawan-II engine is based on the foundation of Skyroot’s first privately developed fully cryogenic rocket engine, the 1.0 kN thrust Dhawan-I, which was successfully tested in November 2021. The engine series Cryogenics honors Dr. Satish Dhawan, a prominent Indian Space Scientist who contributed significantly to the Indian Space Program.

Greater capacity

Naga Bharath Daka, co-founder and COO of Skyroot Aerospace, said this milestone would improve the payload capacity of the Vikram series of space launch vehicles, making them more modular and adaptable to various customer needs.

Veteran rocket engineer V. Gnanagandhi, who heads cryogenic and liquid propulsion at Skyroot Aerospace, expressed his encouragement at the 200 seconds of stable combustion achieved during the test.

“Our 3D printed Dhawan-II engine also uses a 3D printed torch igniter and bellows.[s] cryoinjection valve actuated with fast response time,” added Gnanagandhi.

“This is a remarkable achievement by our team, and we could gain valuable data for next-generation LNG-fueled cryogenic engine technology.”

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