Launching a customised satellite aboard a rocket propelled by a helium or hydrogen-powered balloon may sound too big an ambition for a budding start-up.
iHub Robotics, a Kochi-based start-up dedicated to the research and development of various robotics-based products, however, is dreaming no less, as it strives toward developing a prototype of the rocket by this December. The start-up aims at achieving this goal under its subsidiary I Aero Sky India, claimed to be Kerala’s first aerospace start-up.
“Compared to conventional rocketry, which is very costly, we would follow a semi-rocket technology bringing down the cost to a fraction. It would also replace burning of chemical fuel by a helium or hydrogen-powered balloon equipped with a permanent propelling system, a heat compression unit and sensors to detect and control the pressure and temperature build-up causing the balloon to burst. It would be a perfect vehicle for launching commercial, specific-purpose satellite with a payload not exceeding 100kg in the low orbit,” said Athil Krishna, one of the three founders and CEO of iHub Robotics.
