For India's Second Moon Mission, ISRO Tests Cryogenic Engine.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), on Friday said it has successfully tested the Cryogenic Engine (CE-20) for GSLV Mk-III, which is earmarked for the launch of India’s second moon mission, Chandrayaan-2. The test was done on October 11.

The GSLV MK-III vehicle’s upper stage is powered by the CE-20, which operates on a gas generator cycle using a combination of liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid hydrogen (LH2) propellants.

The fifth hardware of CE-20 integrated engine designated as E6 is earmarked for GSLV Mk-III M1-Chandrayaan 2 mission. According to Isro, the “flight acceptance hot test” test lasted 25 seconds, and it was conducted at the High Altitude Test facility, Isro Propulsion Complex (IPRC), Mahendragiri. “The test demonstrated steady state operation of engine and the performance of all engine subsystems were observed to be normal during the hot test,” Isro said.

“The major subsystems of the engine are thrust chamber, gas generator, LOX and LH2 turbo pumps, igniters, thrust and mixture ratio control systems, Start-up system, control components and pyro valves,” Isro said, adding that the CE-20 develops a nominal thrust of 186.36 kN with a specific impulse of 442 seconds in vacuum.

Chandrayaan-2, unlike the first mission, involves a Lander soft-landing on the lunar surface and unloading a Rover to study and take measurements from the Moon, while the orbiter will go around the Earth’s satellite.