Hyderabad: In a pleasing development for the private space sector in the country, 'RHUMI-1', India's first reusable hybrid rocket was successfully launched into space from Tamil Nadu capital Chennai on Saturday.
The rocket was launched using a mobile launcher by 'Space Zone India, a Tamil Nadu-based start-up, in collaboration with Martin Group from the East Coast Road beach front in Chennai, from the back of a truck.
Former ISRO scientist Dr. Mylswamy Annadurai, who worked on the Chandrayaan-1, Chandrayaan-2, and Mangalyaan missions for the Indian space agency, is advising the start-up.
RHUMI 1: 3 Cube Satellites
RHUMI 1, a single-piece rocket that weighs roughly 80 kg and is 3.5 meters tall, is named after Megalingam's son. It is a "hybrid" vehicle since it runs on a combination of waxes and uses nitrous oxide as the oxidizer, which is required for combustion. With a 2,500 newton initial thrust, the rocket will soar. Everything about the rocket is reusable, with the exception of the nose cone, which will be thrown off when the payload is released and fall into the sea through a parachute.
#WATCH | India launches its first reusable hybrid rocket, RHUMI 1. The rocket, developed by the Tamil Nadu-based start-up Space Zone India and Martin Group was launched from Thiruvidandhai in Chennai using a mobile launcher. It carries 3 Cube Satellites and 50 PICO Satellites… pic.twitter.com/Io97TvfNhE
— ANI (@ANI) August 24, 2024
RHUMI is a hybrid rocket designed to transport a total of 3 Cube Satellites and 50 PICO Satellites to an altitude above the average sea level. These satellites are tasked with gathering information for research aimed at understanding Global warming and Climate change. The RHUMI Rocket is outfitted with a standard-fuel hybrid engine and a parachute system activated by electricity, making it completely free of pyrotechnic materials and devoid of any TNT content.
About RHUMI 2
RHUMI 1, however, will not be able to leave the atmosphere. Instead, it is a prelude to RHUMI 2, a rocket that will be able to launch satellites and transport payloads up to 250 kg to a height of 250 km. RHUMI 1 will be used to teach students about aerodynamics and satellite technology while RHUMI 2 is being constructed. RHUMI 2 will be a two-stage rocket, the lower stage of which will be recoverable, and reusable.
Cost
Space Zone India has received Rs. 8 crore from the Martin group, a Chennai-based company founded by "lottery king" Santiago Martin, as part of its CSR funds. It has been discovered that the organization intends to eventually invest in the firm.
Megalingam was unwilling to reveal how much it cost to develop the rockets. He added RHUMI 2 will be used to launch 100 satellites by Akshath Aerospace, also known as "Grahaa Space," which is situated in Coimbatore. Grahaa Space’s website says the company aims to “provide on-demand, near real-time geospatial videos of any given location on earth, captured and streamed through our advanced constellation of earth observation nanosatellite.”
