Gaganyaan Service Module Propulsion System completes 2 hot tests
Gaganyaan Service Module Propulsion System
(SMPS) at its Propulsion Complex in Mahendragiri, on July 3.
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'The short-duration tests lasted 30 and 100 seconds, respectively, and were aimed at validating the current configuration of the SMPS test article,' Isro said, adding that the propulsion system performed normally, with results aligning with pre-test predictions.
Notably, the 100-second test demonstrated the simultaneous operation of all five Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) engines and all 16 Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters in both steady-state and pulsed modes.
The Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), which is leading the development of the SMPS, has made design improvements based on earlier hot test campaigns to better simulate in-flight conditions. The SMPS is a key component of the Gaganyaan Orbital Module, supporting both orbital manoeuvres and certain abort scenarios.
'Each LAM engine produces 440 Newtons of thrust, while the RCS thrusters deliver 100 Newtons each.
With these successful tests, Isro said it is preparing to conduct a full-duration hot test soon, a critical step as Gaganyaan moves closer to its first human spaceflight,' Isro said.
Isro is hoping to carry out at least two crucial missions related to the Gaganyaan project this year. The space agency will first target the second test vehicle mission and an uncrewed mission. Based on performances of the various systems on each of these missions will determine the future course of action.
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As Isro prepares for Gaganyaan, which is being designed to send Indian astronauts to space and bring them back safely, one of the four astronaut-designates of the Gaganyaan programme, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has been conducting scientific experiments aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Shukla, as part of the Axiom-4 mission, docked with the ISS on June 16 and is expected to return any day after July 9, although no formal date for the re-entry and splashdown has been announced as yet.
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