The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) achieved a significant milestone in its Gaganyaan mission by successfully testing the Gaganyaan Service Module Propulsion System at the ISRO Propulsion Complex in Tamil Nadu. The Gaganyaan project aims to demonstrate India’s capability for human spaceflight. It involves sending a crew of three members to a 400 km orbit for a three-day mission and bringing them back safely to Earth, with a planned landing in Indian sea waters.
Service Module of Gaganyaan
The Service Module (SM) of Gaganyaan incorporates a regulated bi-propellant based propulsion system, fulfilling various critical functions such as orbit injection, circularisation, on-orbit control, de-boost manoeuvring, and SM-based abort procedures during the ascent phase.
During the mission’s ascending phase, the 440 N Thrust LAM engines provide the primary propulsive force, while the RCS thrusters ensure precise attitude correction.
The recent hot test of the System Demonstration Model simulated the fluid circuit of the Service Module Propulsion System, including the propellant tank feed system, helium pressurisation system, flight-qualified thrusters, and control components. ISRO stated that the first hot test of the Phase-2 test series successfully demonstrated the integrated performance of the Gaganyaan SMPS.
Previous hot tests
Prior to this, as part of the Phase-1 test series, ISRO had conducted five hot tests, accumulating a total duration of 2,750 seconds. This earlier phase involved five 440 N LAM engines and eight 100 N RCS thrusters. However, for the Phase-2 test series, the configuration comprised the full set of five 440 N LAM engines and sixteen 100 N RCS thrusters.
With this successful hot test completion, the SMPS has made substantial progress in showcasing its integrated performance in the full configuration. The latest achievement propels India further on its journey to realise crewed space missions and bolster its standing in the global space community.