A space startup from Tamil Nadu has launched India's first reusable hybrid rocket.

A day after India celebrated its first National Space Day, Tamil Nadu-based startup Space Zone India launched the country’s first reusable hybrid rocket, named Mission RHUMI-2024, from a mobile platform at the TTDC Ground in Thiruvidandhai, Chennai, on Saturday. The RHUMI-1 rocket carried three Cube satellites and 50 PICO satellites to a suborbital trajectory, with the purpose of gathering data for research on global warming and climate change.

Space Zone India aimed to replicate the reusable rocket technology pioneered by Elon Musk's SpaceX, but on a smaller scale. The startup developed an innovative, cost-effective, and eco-friendly descent mechanism to ensure the safe recovery of rocket components, a key aspect of reusability that helps lower launch costs. The rocket is powered by a hybrid motor using generic fuel and features an electrically triggered parachute deployer, making it completely free of pyrotechnics and TNT.

Anand Megalingam, the founder and CEO of Space Zone India, noted that the growing demand for small satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) in India motivated the company to focus on this market, using a hybrid propulsion system to keep costs down. The reusable rocket was launched in collaboration with Martin Group, which is funding the startup. Mylswamy Annadurai, the former project director of ISRO's Chandrayaan-1 mission, serves as the mentor for Space Zone India.