ISRO's C20 Cryogenic Engine Passes Key Test for Gaganyaan Mission
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New Delhi, December 12 (NationPress) The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on Thursday that its C20 cryogenic engine, designated for the Gaganyaan mission, has triumphantly passed a vital test.
The space agency emphasized that the test incorporated restart enabling systems, which are crucial for various space missions.
“ISRO marks a significant achievement! The C20 cryogenic engine has successfully completed a critical test under ambient conditions, showcasing restart enabling systems — an essential advancement for upcoming missions,” stated the nation’s space agency in a post on X.
The crucial test involved the “successful execution of the sea-level hot test of its CE20 Cryogenic Engine with a nozzle area ratio of 100 at the ISRO Propulsion Complex located in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu on November 29,” according to an official statement from ISRO.
The indigenous CE20 cryogenic engine is under development by engineers at ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre. This engine is designed to power the upper stage of the LVM3 launch vehicle and has been certified to function at a thrust level of 19 tonnes.
To date, this engine has successfully powered the upper stage of six LVM3 missions.
Recently, the engine also received qualification for the Gaganyaan mission with a thrust level of 20 tonnes, and an upgraded thrust level of 22 tonnes for the future C32 stage, as reported by ISRO.
The test showcased the performance of a multi-element igniter, essential for engine restart capabilities.
Conducting the test at sea level presented significant challenges due to the high area ratio nozzle, which has an exit pressure of around 50 mbar.
“Flow separation within the nozzle can result in severe vibrations and thermal issues at the separation plane, potentially leading to mechanical damage of the nozzle,” ISRO explained.
To address this challenge, engineers are conducting flight acceptance tests for CE20 engines at the High-Altitude Test (HAT) facility. Although this added complexity to the acceptance testing process, the teams developed a sea-level test using an innovative Nozzle Protection System, facilitating a more cost-effective and straightforward acceptance testing procedure for cryogenic engines.
“Restarting a cryogenic engine is a complex undertaking. Major challenges include vacuum ignition without nozzle closure and the utilization of a multi-element igniter,” ISRO noted.
In prior ground tests, the agency demonstrated vacuum ignition of the CE20 engine without nozzle closure.
In the latest evaluation, the performance of the multi-element igniter was assessed. While only the first element was activated, the health of the other two elements was monitored.
“During this test, both the engine and facility performance were normal, and the anticipated engine performance parameters were achieved,” ISRO stated.
