Indian Space News and Discussion

[Arun_S]

[url="http://www.domain-b.com/aero/space/satellites/20091205_cryogenic_engine_oneView.html"]Indigenous cryogenic engine to power GSLV-D3 news[/url]

05 December 2009



India will join a select group of countries possessing cryogenic engine technology when it launches its biggest rocket, the 49-metre tall, 414-tonne Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle (GSLV), in January 2010. To date, only a few countries like the US, Russia, France, Japan and China possess the technology.



GSLV-Mk III

The GSLV-D3 will carry the GSAT-4, a two-tonne communication satellite, as its payload.



The launch of the GSLV-D3 is taking place in January 2010 instead of December this year as earlier planned. According to ISRO sources, it takes at least 30 days after a satellite arrives at the launch centre to check all systems prior to launch. They said the satellite is yet to reach the launch centre and is expected by the middle of this month.



The GSAT-4 will carry a multi-beam Ka-band bent pipe and regenerative transponder and navigation payload in C, L1 and L5 bands. It will be able to guide civil and military aircraft.



The GSAT-4 will also carry a scientific payload, TAUVEX, comprising three ultra violet band telescopes developed by Tel Aviv University and Israel space agency (ELOP) for surveying a large part of the sky in the 1,400-3,200 angstrom wavelengths.



Meanwhile, intensive checks are being carried out on the cryogenic engine and technical data examined.



The cryogenic engine will power the third stage of the GSLV launcher, which will position the GSAT-4 in Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO), at an altitude of 36,000 km above the earth.



All earlier GSLV missions had used Russian cryogenic engines. The last GSLV went up on 2 September 2007, carrying the 2,130 kg INSAT-4CR satellite.



After two developmental flights, GSLVs with Russian cryogenic engines were designated as operational rockets, but GSLV-D3 will once again be designated a development flight as an ISRO built cryogenic engine will be powering one of the stages for the first time.



While the first stage of the GSLV is a solid fuel booster with four strap-on motors, the second stage is a liquid engine. Both these stages have been assembled. The third, and the last, is the cryogenic stage.



Indigenous cryogenic engine



The indigenously developed cryogenic engine passed its flight acceptance tests last year December, after burning for 200 seconds. Earlier, on 15 November 2007, it underwent successful ground testing burning for full flight duration of 720 seconds at the Liquid Propulsion test facility at Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu.



The development of the cryogenic engine began in 1986 but ran into a series of problems forcing ISRO to enter into a $120 million contract with Russian space agency Glavkosmos for the supply of two cryogenic engines with transfer of technology arrangements.



The United States promptly imposed sanctions against Glavkosmos and ISRO, on the grounds that this transfer violated the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) guidelines, blacklisting both organisations in the process.



Then Russian president Boris Yeltsin got Glavkosmos to renegotiate its deal with ISRO, under which there would be no transfer of technology and ISRO would get to buy two KVD-1 engines from Glavkosmos. The number was enlarged subsequently on Indian request.



India's first cryogenic engine test was aborted after 15 seconds instead of the planned duration of 30 seconds. The data obtained from this test, however, allowed a successful ground test of 480 seconds to follow on 4 August 2007.



According to ISRO, with the development of the indigenous Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS) the organisation has mastered complexities in the fabrication of stage tanks, structures, and engine and its sub-systems and control components.



The CUS employs special materials like aluminum, titanium, nickel and their alloys, bi-metallic materials and polyimides.



The CSU programme is very significant for India's space programme as it will help launch a new class of space launchers – the GSLV Mk-III. These vehicles will be capable of initially launching satellites of 4,400 kg weight into Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit.



Subsequently the payload will be upgraded to 6,000 kg.