BENGALURU: Moving a step ahead in making Indian space sector self-reliant, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Friday announced the development and realisation of a 10-tonne vertical propellant mixer for solid motors.
The Vertical Planetary Mixers for processing solid propellants is the world’s largest solid propellant mixing equipment. It is developed and designed by Satish Dhawan Space Centre in collaboration with Central Manufacturing Technology Institute, a Bengaluru-based research and development organisation under the Ministry of Heavy Industries.
The development involved collaboration with academia and industries, and factory-level acceptance tests have been completed. This high-capacity mixer will enable the productivity, quality and improvement for heavy solid motors production, the release said.
The propellent weighs around 150 tonnes and is 5.4 metres in length, with a breadth and height of 3.3 metres and 8.7 metres, respectively. The system has multiple agitators which are hydrostatic driven and will be remotely operated using PLC-based control system with SCADA stations.
Solid propulsion plays a crucial role in the Indian space transportation sector and is also critical equipment. ISRO scientists said solid propellants are the backbone of rocket motors and their production requires precise mixing of highly sensitive and hazardous ingredients.