Nepali aerospace startup Mach24 Orbitals flight-tests hybrid-powered rocket GARUDA SR 1

KATHMANDU: Nepali aerospace startup Mach24 Orbitals has successfully flight-tested its hybrid-powered rocket GARUDA SR 1. The test marks a significant step towards developing Nepal’s own rocket technology.

The 4.1-metre rocket, weighing 43 kg, was launched on 27 August from the Nepali Army firing range at Tintale, Dhanusha. The controlled technology-demonstration flight reached an altitude of 1,083 metres, slightly exceeding the planned target of about one kilometre.

GARUDA SR 1 uses a hybrid propulsion system combining oxygen as an oxidiser with paraffin wax-based fuel. The company said the test followed more than two years of engineering and ground testing, including static-fire trials to assess combustion, chamber pressure, oxidiser flow and engine performance.

Around 15 engineers worked on the project across propulsion, structures, avionics, telemetry, recovery systems and launch operations, supported by the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST).

Mach24 Orbitals, co‑founded by Mohan Tamang and Rubita Magar in 2024, is developing hybrid propulsion systems, sounding rockets and small-satellite launch vehicles. The company said its long-term goal is to develop orbital-class rockets capable of carrying small satellites, including a proposed vehicle designed to place up to 500 kg into a 700 km low Earth orbit.

Tamang said the successful flight was the result of repeated testing and failures, demonstrating that advanced rocket systems could be developed and tested by Nepali engineers. The company plans to use the GARUDA SR platform for further development and for future suborbital scientific and experimental missions.