AnduraX Completes First ADM-01 Balloon Drop Test, Validating GNC for 2030 Spaceplane Cargo Goal
Updated
Updated · Rediff.com · Jul 13
AnduraX Completes First ADM-01 Balloon Drop Test, Validating GNC for 2030 Spaceplane Cargo Goal
1 articles · Updated · Rediff.com · Jul 13
Summary
May 27's ADM-01 test lifted AnduraX's module by high-altitude balloon near the stratosphere, then dropped and recovered it in Vijayawada, marking the startup's first successful flight experiment.
The trial was designed to generate flight data for a return-capable guidance, navigation and control system, a core technology for the reusable spaceplane AnduraX is developing.
AnduraX, founded in June 2024 by Sree Supranayi and Nirvik Choudhary, says its vehicle would land on a runway rather than in water, aiming to protect space-manufactured materials during re-entry and recovery.
The company targets a small demonstrator mission in 2028, a 100-kg cargo-capable ARES vehicle by 2030 and a 5.5-tonne variant by 2032, with plans to serve India's Bharatiya Antariksh Station and space-manufacturing markets.