ISRO tests CE20 cryogenic engine at 22-tonne thrust, boosting LVM3 capability
ISRO successfully conducted a sea-level hot test of its CE20 cryogenic engine at a 22-tonne thrust level at the ISRO Propulsion Complex in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu. During the test the engine operated for 165 seconds and incorporated a nozzle protection system and a multi-element igniter, whereas earlier sea-level tests had been carried out at the 19-tonne thrust level. The CE20 engine powers the upper (cryogenic) stage of India's heaviest operational rocket, the LVM3, and uprating its thrust enhances the rocket's payload-carrying capability for heavier and more complex missions. ISRO indicated that future missions would use an uprated upper stage built around the higher-thrust engine. The achievement is significant for ISRO's plans to launch heavier satellites and to support ambitious programmes that require greater lift capacity.
Key Facts & Details
8 points- 1ISRO tested the CE20 cryogenic engine at 22-tonne thrust in a sea-level hot test at Mahendragiri.
- 2The engine fired for 165 seconds using a nozzle protection system and a multi-element igniter.
- 3Earlier sea-level tests of the engine were conducted at the 19-tonne thrust level.
- 4The CE20 powers the cryogenic upper stage of the LVM3, India's heaviest operational rocket.
- 5The higher thrust enhances the LVM3's payload capacity for heavier, more complex missions.
Deep Dive
- +A cryogenic engine uses super-cooled liquid propellants, typically liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.
- +ISRO indicated future missions would adopt an uprated upper stage built around the higher-thrust engine.
- +Greater lift capacity supports launching heavier communication satellites and demanding future programmes.
Exam Focus
Which ISRO launch vehicle's upper stage is powered by the CE20 cryogenic engine?
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Exam Relevance & Angle
Space-technology milestones, especially engine and launch-vehicle developments, are recurring science-and-technology items, and specific facts such as the engine name, the thrust level and the test site are exactly what examiners convert into direct questions for banking, SSC and UPSC papers.
Target Exams
Background & Context
A cryogenic engine is a rocket engine that burns propellants stored at extremely low (cryogenic) temperatures, typically liquid hydrogen as fuel and liquid oxygen as oxidiser, delivering a higher specific impulse (efficiency) than engines using conventional liquid or solid propellants, which makes it ideal for the energy-demanding upper stages of launch vehicles. The CE20 is the indigenous cryogenic engine developed by ISRO to power the upper stage of the LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark-3), India's most powerful operational rocket, which has been used for missions such as Chandrayaan-3 and the commercial OneWeb satellite launches. Developing reliable cryogenic technology is technically challenging and is mastered by only a handful of nations; ISRO's progressive uprating of the CE20's thrust directly increases the mass of payload the LVM3 can carry to orbit, a key enabler for heavier satellites and future human and deep-space missions.
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Must KnowTest Yourself
1 / 2The CE20 cryogenic engine powers the upper stage of which ISRO launch vehicle?
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