(GIST OF SCIENCE REPORTER) GAGANYAAN MISSION

(MARCH-2024)

ISRO has successfully completed the human rating of its CE20 cryogenic engine, which represents a major boost to India’s attempt to launch humans into space under the Gaganyaan mission.

A total of three flights will be sent into orbit.
There will be one human spaceflight and two unmanned flight.
Four Indian astronauts will be stationed in the Gaganyaan system module, also known as the Orbital Module.
It will spend five to seven days traveling in a low-Earth orbit around the planet at a height of 300 to 400 kilometers.

The ISRO subsidiary Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) is responsible for its design and development.
It will supply energy to the LVM3 launch vehicle’s cryogenic upper stage.
It will be used by ISRO for “Mission Gaganyaan,” which aims to launch a man into space in 2024.
It has a gas-generator cycle, making it the first cryogenic engine of such type in India.
It is among the world’s most powerful upper-stage cryogenic engines.
In vacuum, this engine produces a nominal thrust of 186.36 kN.

The cryogenic stage is technically a very complex system due to its use of propellants at extremely low temperatures and the associated thermal and structural problems.
It runs on liquid fuels that are cooled to extremely low temperatures (hydrogen liquifies at -253 degrees Celsius and oxygen at -183 degrees Celsius).
Compared to solid and earth-storable liquid rocket stages, cryogenic rocket stages are more effective and produce greater thrust per kilogram of fuel burned.