Spaceflight

A supersonic-combustion ramjet (scramjet) flight test using a two-stage sounding rocket as the booster is the next step for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), following a successful ground firing of its experimental hypersonic engine.

ISRO achieved 7s of stable supersonic combustion at Mach 6 during tests at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in the southern city of Thiruvananthapuram.

“The cost of expendable launch systems is in the range of $12,000-15,000 per kilogramme. To make access to space more affordable – something like $500-1,000 per kilogramme – more efficient propulsion systems like air-breathing rockets are needed,” says ISRO.

RADHAKRISHNA RAO / BANGALORE