ISRO completes final test for Gaganyaan rocket engine that can carry humans to space
«ISRO has accomplished a major milestone in the human rating of its CE20 cryogenic engine that powers the cryogenic stage of the human-rated LVM3 launch vehicle for Gaganyaan missions, with the completion of the final round of ground qualification tests on February 13, 2024,» said ISRO in its official statement.
ISRO has informed that the final test was the seventh of a series of vacuum ignition tests carried out at the High Altitude Test Facility at ISRO Propulsion Complex, Mahendragiri, to simulate the flight conditions.
«All the ground qualification tests of the CE20 engine for the Gaganyaan programme have been successfully completed,» said the national space agency.
What is part of human rating test?
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 are part of the ground qualification tests that were taken for human rating of the CE20 engine.
«In order to qualify the CE20 engine for human rating standards, four engines have undergone 39 hot firing tests under different operating conditions for a cumulative duration of 8810 seconds against the minimum human rating qualification standard requirement of 6350 seconds,» said ISRO.
Apart from human rating, ISRO has also successfully completed the 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
