Following its historic success of being India's first private business to launch the Vikram-S rocket last year, Hyderabad-based startup Skyroot Aerospace is now focusing on its second voyage into orbit this year.

The orbital rocket Vikram-1, which is scheduled to launch this year, is slowly going through several testing and development stages. This adaptable orbital launch vehicle is capable of transporting various payloads into orbit.

The entirely 3D-printed regeneratively cooled Raman-II engine that will power its Orbital Adjustment Module (OAM), the topmost stage of Vikram-1, was successfully tested. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) provided funding for the test.

"The orbital launch is planned for the end of the year, subject to clearance from respective authorities," said Skyroot Aerospace co-founder and CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana.

Vikram-1 was designed to transfer payloads weighing up to 480 kg to low-inclination orbits spanning 500 km. It also has a design that enables for assembly and launch preparation at any launch location within 24 hours.

"This is a multi-stage rocket that is slated to be the first orbital rocket launched by the private sector in India and also South Asia," he added.

Their focus as a prominent contender in the Indian space-tech arena has always been on innovation in launch vehicles built for efficiency, economy, and evolution. 3D printing, carbon composites, future-focused fuels, and other technology were utilised in this orbital launch.

Skyroot wants to make space travel more dependable, frequent, and on-demand for everyone. This necessitates the development of more creative technologies that enhance access to deeper parts of space, making space launches and downstream space services far more affordable, accessible, and dependable for the average person.

Skyroot's decision to call its launch vehicles 'Vikram' honors famous physicist Vikram Sarabhai, the creator of India's space program. Skyroot Aerospace, headquartered in Hyderabad, specializes in the construction of launch vehicles for the launch of commercial satellites into space.

Skyroot Aerospace founded by ISRO :

Skyroot Aerospace was founded in July 2018 by former ISRO scientists Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka, with the assistance of Vasudevan Gnanagandhi and a small group of entrepreneurs that included CureFit founders Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagor. Skyroot has raised a first $4.3 million in funding, including from space and defense contractor Solar Industries. The business has been working on its first launch vehicle, the 'Vikram 1', which is scheduled to launch at the end of 2022.

Skyroot Aerospace was named the winner of the National Startup Awards 2020 on October 6, 2020, by Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal. The National Startup Awards recognize companies in a variety of categories that provide unique solutions to complicated challenges in the country while also building scalable and sustainable businesses.

Please, also have a look into : Hindu temple attacked with rocket launchers in Pakistan’s Sindh