CE20
CRYOGENIC ENGINES – SCI & TECH
News:
Mission Gaganyaan: ISRO's
CE20 cryogenic engine now human-rated
What's
in the news?
●
The Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) has completed the final round of ground qualification tests on its CE20
cryogenic engine to achieve the engine’s human rating for the Gaganyaan
programme.
Key
takeaways:
●
The CE20 engine powers the cryogenic stage
of the human-rated LVM3 launch vehicle for ISRO’s human spaceflight programme, Gaganyaan.
CE-20
Cryogenic Engines:
●
It has been designed and developed by the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC),
a subsidiary of ISRO.
●
It will power the Cryogenic Upper Stage of
the LVM3 launch vehicle for the Chandrayaan-3 mission.
●
It is the first Indian cryogenic engine to feature a gas-generator cycle.
●
It is one of the most powerful upper-stage
cryogenic engines in the world.
●
This engine develops a nominal thrust of
186.36 kN in vacuum.
Cryogenic
Engines:
●
It is a type of rocket engine that
operates on cryogenic (extremely low-temperature) fuels and oxidizers,
typically liquid hydrogen (LH2) and
liquid oxygen (LOX).
Significance
of Cryogenic Engines:
●
They are highly efficient due to the high energy density of cryogenic fuels.
●
They provide greater thrust compared to traditional rocket engines, making them
suitable for launching heavy payloads into space.
●
They are commonly used in the upper stages
of space launch vehicles, where they propel payloads from initial launch phases
into desired orbits.
●
They operate at extremely low
temperatures, typically below -150°C (-238°F) for liquid hydrogen and below
-183°C (-297°F) for liquid oxygen.