ISRO Aces Final Test For Gaganyaan Rocket Engine Ready To Launch Humans Into Space

Marking a significant milestone in India's space exploration endeavours, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully concluded the last series of ground qualification tests, ensuring the human-rating of its CE20 cryogenic engine.

This powerful engine serves as the backbone of the cryogenic stage for the LVM3 launch vehicle, pivotal for upcoming Gaganyaan missions

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ISRO posted on X: "Mission Gaganyaan: ISRO's CE20 cryogenic engine is now human-rated for Gaganyaan missions. Rigorous testing demonstrates the engine's mettle. The CE20 engine identified for the first uncrewed flight LVM3 G1 also went through acceptance tests."

Mission Gaganyaan:
ISRO's CE20 cryogenic engine is now human-rated for Gaganyaan missions.

Rigorous testing demonstrates the engine¡¯s mettle.

The CE20 engine identified for the first uncrewed flight LVM3 G1 also went through acceptance tests.https://t.co/qx4GGBgZPv pic.twitter.com/UHwEwMsLJK

¡ª ISRO (@isro) February 21, 2024

Human-rating refers to rating a system capable of safely transporting humans.

Gaganyaan's engine certification journey

The final test occurred on February 13. It was the seventh in a series of vacuum ignition tests to simulate flight conditions at the High Altitude Test Facility at ISRO Propulsion Complex, Mahendragiri.

According to ISRO, ground qualification tests for human rating the CE20 engine involved life demonstration tests, endurance tests, and performance assessment under nominal operating conditions as well as off-nominal conditions w.r.t thrust, mixture ratio, and propellant tank pressure.

All ground qualification tests of the CE20 engine for the Gaganyaan programme have been successfully completed.

Representational Image

Four CE20 engines underwent 39 hot firing tests at different conditions to meet human rating standards, cumulatively running for 8,810 seconds. This exceeds the minimum qualification requirement of 6,350 seconds.

ISRO also successfully completed acceptance tests of the flight engine identified for the first unmanned Gaganyaan (G1) mission, tentatively scheduled for Q2 of 2024.

"This engine will power the upper stage of the human-rated LVM3 vehicle and has a thrust capability of 19 to 22 tonnes with a specific impulse of 442.5 seconds."

The Gaganyaan project aims to demonstrate human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of three members to an orbit of 400 km for a 3-day mission and safely bringing them back to Earth by landing in Indian sea waters.

Significance of human rating

Ensuring astronaut safety during space missions requires rigorous testing of cryogenic engines to verify reliability and performance under various conditions.

The successful human rating of ISRO's CE20 cryogenic engine marks a significant advancement in India's space exploration capabilities, bringing it closer to achieving its manned spaceflight goals.

This achievement also contributes to the broader field of aerospace engineering, paving the way for future advancements in human space exploration.

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