ISRO's Vikas engine passes throttling test

The Indian Space Research Organisation has successfully tested the throttling of Vikas, its workhorse launch-vehicle engine.

The space agency said on Wednesday that the first throttling demonstration hot-test of the engine was successfully accomplished on January 30, for a targeted 67 per cent thrust level throttling, for a duration of 43 seconds.

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The Vikas engine powers the second stages of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), the liquid strapons of GSLV and the core liquid stage of LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark III). The throttling test was done toward enabling booster-stage recovery in future launch vehicle configurations.

“The results of the first hot test of Throttleable Vikas Engine indicate stable combustion and subsystem performed in accordance with the prediction. The overall performance of engine sub-systems, control systems and test facility systems were as expected,” Isro said.