Skyroot test test-fires advanced fully 3D-printed cryogenic engine

Skyroot Aerospace, India's pioneering private rocket builder, achieved a major milestone by successfully test-firing an advanced fully 3D-printed cryogenic engine for 200 seconds, a record for the company.

The endurance test of 'Dhawan-II' which demonstrated impressive performance results, was carried out at Solar Industries propulsion test facility in Nagpur, Maharashtra, using Skyroot’s indigenously developed mobile cryogenic engine test pad. This achievement follows the November 2022 launch of Vikram–S, which made Skyroot the first Indian private company to send a rocket into space.

Pawan Kumar Chandana, Co-founder and CEO, Skyroot Aerospace, stated, "The successful test of Dhawan-II is a landmark achievement for Skyroot and the Indian private space sector. We are proud to be at the forefront in developing cuttingedge cryogenic technologies in the private space sector of India, and pushing the limit with advanced technologies like 3D printing and green propellants."

The Dhawan-II engine builds upon 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. The cryogenic engine series is named in honour of Satish Dhawan, an eminent Indian rocket scientist who played a crucial role in the development of India's space programme.

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