New Delhi, Nov 20 Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh on Thursday lauded the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for acing the key restart test on the CE20 cryogenic engine -- qualified for the Gaganyaan missions.
ISRO on Wednesday announced successfully demonstrating a boot-strap mode start of the CE20 cryogenic engine under vacuum conditions for the first time. The test could give its largest rocket, LVM-3, more flexibility in future missions.
Taking to the social media platform X, Singh called the achievement a "giant leap for India’s space propulsion".
“ISRO has achieved a major milestone. Its CE20 cryogenic engine successfully started in bootstrap mode, running without any auxiliary start-gas system under vacuum test conditions,” he added.
The test was conducted on Nov 7, for 10 seconds in the High-Altitude Test facility, ISRO said.
The CE20 cryogenic engine, powering the LVM3 upper stage, is already qualified for operation at thrust levels ranging from 19 to 22 tonnes in flight with a single start.
The space agency explained that achieving the boot-strap mode start -- where the engine builds up to steady operation without external start-up assistance -- is essential for flexibility during multi-orbit missions.
During the key restart test, a multi-element igniter was employed in both the thrust chamber and gas generator to facilitate bootstrap starting.
“Following the ignition of the thrust chamber, the gas generator was ignited under tank head conditions, and the turbopumps were started without the use of the start-up system. Subsequently, boot-strap mode build-up and steady-state operation of the engine were successfully demonstrated,” ISRO said.
“With this achievement, ISRO has successfully demonstrated boot-strap mode starting of a gas-generator cycle cryogenic engine without any auxiliary start-up system, perhaps for the first time in the world -- a significant milestone towards enhancing the restart capability and mission flexibility of future LVM3 flights,” the agency added.
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