New Delhi: Bengaluru-based New Space Startup EtherealX is aiming to develop the first medium-lift fully reusable launch vehicle in the world. The 64 metre tall rocket, named Razer Crest after the spaceship from Star Wars, can delivery 24.8 tons to Low Earth Orbit. EtherealX is simultaneously developing the launch vehicle in partially reusable and expendable configurations as well. There are three cofounders, Manu Nair, Shubhayu Sardar and Prashanth Sharma. Nair and Sardar are former ISRO scientists while Sharma was on the Liquid Propelled Rocket Development team in the University of Minnesota. Nair was previously on the executive team of Manastu Space, a New Space startup that Sharma has designed rocket engines for.
The Razer Crest Mk1 will be powered by a cluster of nine Stallion engines, one of the most powerful liquid rocket engines in the world, each capable of producing 925 kilonewtons of thrust. The engine will be fueled by a highly refined form of kerosene and liquid oxygen. The booster stage will return to the launchpad after the flight, and execute a vertical landing, bringing down the cost of travelling through the lower atmosphere of Earth, which is the most expensive aspect of spaceflight. The semi-cryogenic upper stage is powered by the Pegasus Mk-1 engine, producing 40 kilonewtons of thrust. This is a two-stage to orbit rocket, with EtherealX planning to recover and reuse both stages.
The burgeoning demand for deploying satellites
The development of the Razer Crest MK1 is a response to the burgeoning demand for deploying microsatellites and nanosatellites. A number of New Space startups across the country are developing launch vehicles catering specifically to this market, with the Skyroot Aerospace and Agnikul Cosmos leading the charge with the Vikram I and Agnibaan launch vehicles. ISRO has also developed the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), and is leaning on private industries for manufacturing it. Agnikul Cosmos has recently pivoted towards reusability, with Abyom Space and EtherealX both aiming for developing reusable launch vehicles.