Q/ Is this your first attempt at test-firing an upper-stage rocket engine?
A/ Yes. This is a full-scale one. We have done short-scale and smaller ones in the past. This is the actual engine that will be launched later. This is only the upper stage and there are many other stages involved, which will be tested in the next one year. They will all be integrated closer to the final launch. We want to give it our all and [attain] perfection. It is quite rare for rocket engines to be successfully test-fired in the first attempt, so that is a great achievement.
Q/ What sets the Vikram series apart from other small satellite launch vehicles?
A/ It is the simplicity of the rocket. It is a simple rocket that can be manufactured, assembled and launched very fast. Then there is the cost. It will be much cheaper than other rockets in similar segments in the international market.
Q/ The Indian government recently opened up the space sector to private players. How has your company streamlined plans after this decision?
A/ It has come at the right time. In the next one year, most of our sub-systems and rocket stages will be tested. Our hardware is in the final stages of manufacturing. We can now use ISRO facilities, which was not the case earlier. So, this will help our testing. Also, launching requires licencing and regulatory procedures. We feel there will be no delay from the government’s side and that perfectly matches our timeline.
Q/ Can you talk about the usage of 3D printing technology in your rockets’ bi-propellants?
Denne historien er fra August 30, 2020-utgaven av THE WEEK.
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Denne historien er fra August 30, 2020-utgaven av THE WEEK.
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Trump And The Crisis Of Liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
