Space start-up Skyroot conducts long duration test of its cryogenic engine

Private space tech start-up Skyroot Aerospace has achieved a major milestone by successfully test-firing a fully 3D-printed cryogenic engine for 200 seconds, the company said on Tuesday.

The endurance test of 'Dhawan-II', using Skyroot's indigenously developed mobile cryogenic engine test pad, was carried out at Solar Industries propulsion test facility in Nagpur. It demonstrated impressive performance results, the Hyderabad-based company said in a statement.

The achievement follows the November 2022 launch of Vikram-S, which made Skyroot the first Indian private company to send a rocket into space.

The Dhawan-II engine builds on the foundation laid by Skyroot's first privately developed fully-cryogenic rocket engine, the 1.0 kN thrust Dhawan-I, which was successfully test fired in November 2021.

"This is a major milestone for our cryogenic propulsion programme, which will enhance the payload capacity of Vikram series of space launch vehicles making them more modular so as to meet wider customer requirements," said Naga Bharath Daka, co-founder and COO of Skyroot Aerospace.

Our 3D printed Dhawan II engine also uses a 3D printed torch igniter and a bellow-actuated cryo-injection valve with quick response time. It is a remarkable achievement by our team and we could get valuable data for next generation cryogenic engine technology with LNG as fuel, said V Gnanagandhi, veteran rocket scientist who leads liquid and cryogenic propulsion at Skyroot.

Skyroot's cryogenic rocket engines utilise two high-performance propellants Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) and Liquid Oxygen (LoX) which require temperatures below minus 150 degrees Celsius for storage and operation.

Fully cryogenic engines are ideal for the upper stages of a rocket due to their higher specific impulse, which greatly enhances payload-carrying capabilities.

We are proud to be at the forefront in developing cutting-edge cryogenic technologies in the private space sector of India, and pushing the limit with advanced technologies like 3D printing and green propellants, Pawan Kumar Chandana, co-founder and CEO of Skyroot Aerospace said.