Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has established a 208-crore Integrated Cryogenic Engine Manufacturing Facility (ICMF) in Bengaluru to handle all of the Indian Space Research Organization’s rocket engine manufacturing under one roof.
On Tuesday, President Droupadi Murmu will officially open the cutting-edge ICMF, constructed across a 4,500 square meter space and houses over 70 high-tech tools and testing facilities to produce cryogenic (CE20) and semi-cryogenic (SE2000) engines for Indian rockets.
An MOU for establishing a facility for producing cryogenic engine modules at HAL’s Aerospace Division was inked with ISRO in 2013; it was later updated in 2016 to include the establishment of the ICMF with an investment of 208 crores.
The pre-production operations, which include creating process and quality plans and drawings, have already started, according to Bengaluru-based HAL, which announced on Monday that all essential equipment for the manufacturing and assembly requirements had been fully commissioned.
By March 2023, HAL stated that it would begin producing the modules.
For the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV MK-II), and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV Mk-III), as well as stage integration for GSLV Mk-II, HAL Aerospace Division develops liquid propellant tanks and launch vehicle structures.
“The facility (ICMF) will house all ISRO’s rocket engine manufacturing operations under one roof. The facility will increase domestic production of high-thrust rocket engines, “HAL released a statement.
According to the statement, cryogenic engines are the most frequently utilized in launch vehicles worldwide. Only a few nations—the USA, France, Japan, China, and Russia—have mastered cryogenic technology because of how complicated cryogenic engines are.
According to the report, India became the sixth nation to develop cryogenic engines on January 5, 2014, when the GSLV-D5 was successfully flown using a cryogenic engine.
The NewsSpace India Limited (NSIL) has awarded the HAL-L&T partnership the $860 million contract for the end-to-end realization of five PSLVs over four years
