Why is it in the news?
- Skyroot Aerospace successfully test-fired Stage-2 of the Vikram-1 space launch vehicle, known as Kalam-250, at ISRO’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
More about the news
- Stage-2 is crucial in propelling the launch vehicle from the atmospheric phase to the vacuum of outer space.
- The test recorded a peak sea-level thrust of 186 kilonewtons (kN), with an expected fully expanded vacuum thrust of around 235kN during flight.
- Kalam-250 features a high-strength carbon composite rocket motor with solid fuel and a high-performance Ethylene-Propylene-Diene terpolymers (EPDM) Thermal Protection System (TPS).
- The stage-2 includes a carbon ablative flex nozzle and high-precision electro-mechanical actuators for thrust vector control, ensuring the rocket’s desired trajectory.
- The test involved ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), providing its proprietary head-mounted safe arm (HMSA) for safe operation.
- The solid propellant for Kalam-250 was processed by Solar Industries at their Nagpur facility.
- Skyroot Aerospace previously tested Kalam-100, the third stage of Vikram-1, successfully in June 2021.
