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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Nineteen months after it successfully flight-tested India’s first home-made cryogenic engine, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is ready for a keenly-awaited encore. The desi cryogenic engine will now power the upper stage of Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-D6 (GSLV-D6) which is scheduled to lift off from Sriharikota on August 27.
The GSLV-D6 mission will put the 2140 kg GSAT-6 communications satellite in orbit. The second flight-test of the engine is aimed at validating ISRO’s prowess in the complex cryogenic technology. Its success is also critical to prove that the cryo engine is ready for ISRO’s commercial missions.
“This is a repeat test and the engine is a replica of the one used on GSLV-D5 mission (on January 5, 2014). The rocket was moved to the launchpad on Wednesday morning,” said S Somanath, director of ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), which developed the engine. In fact, the GSLV-D6 itself is a twin of its predecessor although the payload is slightly heavier.
Designated CE-7.5, the cryogenic engine uses a propellant combination of liquefied hydrogen and liquefied oxygen. For decades, ISRO depended on Russian-made engines for the GSLV missions. A dependable home-made cryo engine will boost ISRO’s standing in the highly competitive international satellite launch market.
The desi-built cryogenic engine was first flight-tested aboard the GSLV-D3 mission on April 15, 2010, but it was a failure.
The GSLV-D5 mission was originally planned for August 19, 2013, but it was hastily put off after a leak was detected.
The first successful flight took place on January 5, 2014. ISRO is also developing a heavier cryo engine for the Mk III version of the GSLV.
