ISRO moves closer to Gaganyaan launch

Bengaluru: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced that it has successfully completed the development of the Service Module Propulsion System (SMPS) for its ambitious Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission, following the conclusion of its qualification test program. The milestone moves India closer to its first crewed space mission, slated for the first quarter of 2027.

A full-duration hot test of the SMPS was conducted for 350 seconds at the ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) in Tamil Nadu's Mahendragiri. The test was designed to validate the integrated performance of the system for a flight off-nominal mission profile, specifically an SM-based abort scenario during the ascent phase. Officials stated the propulsion system's overall performance during the test was normal and aligned with pre-test predictions.

The Service Module (SM) of the Gaganyaan mission is a regulated bi-propellant propulsion system vital for various orbital manoeuvres. It is responsible for orbit circularisation, on-orbit control, de-boost manoeuvring, and crucial Service Module-based abort operations during the ascent phase. The system comprises five Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) engines, each providing 440 Newtons of thrust for main propulsion, and 16 Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters, each delivering 100 Newtons for precise attitude control.

A dedicated System Demonstration Model (SDM) test bed, replicating the SMPS fluid circuit, was used for the extensive qualification programme. This SDM underwent 25 tests under both nominal and off-nominal conditions, accumulating a total duration of 14,331 seconds, to meet various Gaganyaan mission scenarios and human-rating requirements. The Gaganyaan Service Module Propulsion System was designed, developed, and developed by ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC).

Its robust design and successful testing are considered essential for ensuring crew safety and the overall success of the mission, particularly its capability to handle complex manoeuvres and emergency abort scenarios.

Gaganyaan mission aims to send Indian astronauts into low-Earth orbit, approximately 400 kilometres above Earth, for several days before their safe return.