Question: Which of the following Indian Space Start-up has recently tested Solid fuel Rocket named as Kalam-5?
a) Skyroot Aerospace
b) Dhruva Space
c) Bellatrix Aerospace
d) Manastu Space Technologies
Answer: (a)
Related Facts:-
- On 22 December 2020; Skyroot Aerospace, has successfully test-fired a solid propulsion rocket engine.
- Skyroot Aerospace is a Hyderabad based start-up in the space sector, which test-fired a rocket engine named as Kalam-5.
- Testing was done at a private test facility, in Nagpur last week, owned by Myntra Solar Industries.
- Solar Industries is a major explosives manufacturer and a leading Space and Defence contractor and also a partner and investor in Skyroot.
- It is the country’s first private sector company to successfully test-fire a solid propulsion rocket stage engine designed and developed by it.
- It has been built with advanced carbon composite structure in a completely automated process.
- A carbon composite case is challenging to design and manufacture and is five times lighter than steel.
- This is Skyroot’s first of five Kalam series of solid rocket motors. The remaining four motors are in various stages of manufacturing and are expected to be tested in 2021.
- Kalam-5 is a demonstrator solid rocket propulsion stage with exactly same propellant, materials and interfaces as the three solid propulsion stages of Vikram-1 launch vehicle.
- It gives a peak Sea Level thrust of 5.3kN and is designed to take 66 atmospheres and 30000C of combustion pressure and temperature respectively. This is also 1:4 scale in size of Vikram-1 third stage.
- Solid motors are high-thrust, low-cost rocket engines with propellant in solid form. They are highly reliable as they have very few moving parts.
- Co-Founder and CEO of Skyroot Pawan Kumar Chandana, said that Kalam-5 uses 15 different advanced materials, nine different manufacturing processes, and has zero moving parts.
- Naga Bharath Daka, Co-Founder and COO, said that to express a tribute to our beloved and renowned rocket scientist Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, we named our solid propulsion stages.
- Chandana also said that this is a major milestone for Skyroot and for the Indian private space sector.
- He informed that the test results closely matched our predictions and this success gives great confidence for our Vikram-I vehicle development.
- It has also been informed by him that test-firing of Vikram-1 launch vehicle’s 3rd Stage (Kalam-100) is planned in a few months at ISRO facilities
- Skyroot Aerospace is aiming at its first launch vehicle Vikram-I with the help of ISRO in December 2021.
- Skyroot is backed by funding by Mukesh Bansal of Myntra, Solar Industries, Vedanshu Investments and others.
By – Rajesh Tripathi