ISRO Tests Engine For Gaganyaan Program

ISRO tests engine for Gaganyaan program, third long-duration successful thermal test.

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on Wednesday successfully conducted its third long-duration thermal test of a liquid propellant engine ‘Vikas’ for its Gaganyaan program.

Gaganyaan is the country’s first manned mission to be sent into space.

The test was conducted for the L110 liquid stage of the GSLV Mk 3 vehicle as part of the engine qualification requirement for the Gaganyaan program.

The engine was launched for 240 seconds at the Test Center at ISRO Propulsion Complex ([IPRC)], Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh had said in February this year that the first unmanned mission is planned in December 2021 and the second unmanned mission in 2022-23 and thereafter manned spacecraft.

ISRO said in a statement that the test was conducted for the L110 liquid stage of the GSLV Mk 3 vehicle as part of the engine qualification requirement for the Gaganyaan program.

ISRO tests engine: The engine was launched for 240 seconds at the test center at ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC), Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu, it said.

According to the statement, the engine met the test objectives during this period and the engines were in conformity with the standard estimates throughout the test period.

The objective of the Gaganyaan program is to demonstrate the capability of an Indian launch vehicle to send humans to low Earth orbit and bring them back to Earth.

Jitendra Singh had said in February this year that the first unmanned mission is planned in December 2021 and the second unmanned mission in 2022-23 and thereafter manned spacecraft.

Navy providing safe passage to Indian ships in Gulf region

As part of the Sankalp Abhiyan, the Indian Navy is providing safe passage to Indian flag merchant ships in the Gulf region.

On average, 16 Indian flag merchant ships pass through this area every day. Two oil tankers exploded in the Gulf of Oman amid escalating tensions between Iran and the US.

After this, Sankalp Abhiyan was started in June 2019.

A statement issued on Wednesday said, “Since June 2019, an Indian Navy ship is stationed in the North-West Arabian Sea (at Ras al-Had) in the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf.”

A helicopter is present on this naval ship. The aim is to make a presence felt, build confidence in the Indian maritime community and help Indian-flagged merchant ships.