ISRO successfully demonstrates Vikas engine restart; flags off LVM3 for commercial operations

The test marks a milestone in the development of technologies for recovery of stages, leading to reusability in future launch vehicles, a press release from ISRO read.
For representational purposes
For representational purposes (Photo | ISRO)
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BENGALURU: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Saturday announced that the team of research scientists had successfully completed the demonstration of the restart of the Vikas Liquid Engines on January 17.

The tests were done at the ISRO Propulsion Complex at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu.

Vikas engine is the workhorse engine that powers the liquid stages of all the launch vehicles. The test marks a milestone in the development of technologies for recovery of stages, leading to reusability in future launch vehicles, a press release from ISRO read.

The scientists explained that a series of tests are carried out to validate the restarting of the engine under different conditions. During the test, the engine is on for 60 seconds and then it is shut-off for a period of 120 seconds, after this it is restarted and fired for a seven seconds duration.

“All engine parameters during the test were found to be normal and as expected. Earlier, a short duration restart test was successfully done in December 2024 with a shut-off time of 42 seconds and firing duration of seven seconds. More tests are planned in the coming days to optimise the performance of the engine under restart conditions,” ISRO added.

ISRO flags off LVM for commercial operations

ISRO on Saturday informed that the its Chairman V Narayanan flagged off the launch off the core liquid stage (L110) Launch Vehicle Marck-3 (LVM3) at Sriharikota on January 17. This is the 10th L110 liquid stage integrated at ISRO’s Propulsion Complex in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu.

It is earmarked for the LVM3 mission under a commercial agreement between NSIL and AST and Science, LLC to launch their BlueBird Block-2 satellite. The L110 was designed and developed by Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre during the development of the LVM3 launch vehicle and is powered by twin Vikas engines with a propellant loading of 110 tonnes.

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