A new facility in India's aerospace hub Bengaluru will henceforth be manufacturing the sophisticated cryogenic and semi-cryogenic engines that are meant to power Indian rockets. Known as the Integrated Cryogenic Engine Manufacturing Facility, this facility belongs to India's state-run Aerospace and Defence firm Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Under a single roof, this 4500sq meter facility will cater to the entire cryogenic rocket engine manufacturing needs of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
This new facility has 70 high-tech equipment and testing apparatus for manufacturing CE20 Cryogenic engines and SE2000 cryogenic engines for Indian rockets. While the CE20 engines find use in the final stage of the GSLV Mk3 rocket, the SCE-2000 semi-cryogenic engine is meant to be used in the SC-120 rocket stage which is being developed.
According to HAL, it was in 2013 that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed with ISRO for establishing the facility for manufacturing of Cryogenic Engine modules at HAL, Aerospace Division. The MOU for the Cryogenic Engine facility was subsequently amended in the year 2016 for the setting up of the Integrated Cryogenic Engine Manufacturing Facility (ICMF) with an investment of Rs.208 crores.
The aerospace firm added that the commissioning of all the critical equipment for the manufacturing and assembly requirements is completed. The pre-production activities which involve the preparation of the process plans, drawings, quality plan etc. have also commenced. HAL will start realising the modules(engines) by March 2023, they said.
HAL Aerospace Division manufactures liquid propellant tanks and launch vehicle structures for Indian rockets PSLV, GSLV MK-II, and GSLV Mk-III and also carries out stage integration for GSLV Mk-II.
Cryogenic Engines are sophisticated machines that burn liquefied gases(supercooled into liquid form) as fuel and oxidizer. Cryogenic engines use liquid oxygen(stored at -183deg Centigrade) as an oxidizer and liquid hydrogen(stored at -253 deg Centigrade) as fuel.
Indian president, Droupadi Murmu will inaugurate HAL’s state-of-the-art Integrated Cryogenic Engine Manufacturing Facility (ICMF) in Bengaluru on Tuesday, September 27, 2022.
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