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ISRO Tests New Rocket Engine That Could Make Launches 10 Times Cheaper

Successful Flight Testing of ISRO's Scramjet Engine Technology Demonstrator

The first experimental mission of ISRO’s Scramjet Engine towards the realisation of an Air Breathing Propulsion System was successfully conducted today (August 28, 2016) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota.

After a smooth countdown of 12 hours, the solid rocket booster carrying the Scramjet Engines, lifted off at 0600 hrs (6:00 am) IST. The important flight events, namely, burn out of booster rocket stage, ignition of second stage solid rocket, functioning of Scramjet engines for 5 seconds followed by burn out of the second stage took place exactly as planned.

After a flight of about 300 seconds, the vehicle touched down in the Bay of Bengal, approximately 320 km from Sriharikota. The vehicle was successfully tracked during its flight from the ground stations at Sriharikota.

With this flight, critical technologies such as ignition of air breathing engines at supersonic speed, holding the flame at supersonic speed, air intake mechanism and fuel injection systems have been successfully demonstrated.

The Scramjet engine designed by ISRO uses Hydrogen as fuel and the Oxygen from the atmospheric air as the oxidiser. Today’s test was the maiden short duration experimental test of ISRO’s Scramjet engine with a hypersonic flight at Mach 6. ISRO’s Advanced Technology Vehicle (ATV), which is an advanced sounding rocket, was the solid rocket booster used for today’s test of Scramjet engines at supersonic conditions. ATV carrying Scramjet engines weighed 3277 kg at lift-off.

ATV is a two stage spin stabilised launcher with identical solid motors (based on Rohini RH560 sounding rocket) as the first as well as the second stage (booster and sustainer). The twin Scramjet engines were mounted on the back of the second stage. Once the second stage reached the desired conditions for engine “Start-up”, necessary actions were initiated to ignite the Scramjet engines and they functioned for about 5 seconds. Today’s ATV flight operations were based on a pre-programmed sequence.

Some of the technological challenges handled by ISRO during the development of Scramjet engine include the design and development of Hypersonic engine air intake, the supersonic combustor, development of materials withstanding very high temperatures, computational tools to simulate hypersonic flow, ensuring performance and operability of the engine across a wide range of flight speeds, proper thermal management and ground testing of the engines.

India is the fourth country to demonstrate the flight testing of Scramjet Engine. The successful technology demonstration of air-breathing Scramjet engines in flight by ISRO today is a modest yet important milestone in its endeavour to design and develop advanced air breathing engines including engines for ISRO’s future space transportation system.

ATV 02 Liftoff Photos


atv_29833.jpg
 
Phased Development

Reusable Launch Vehicle technology will be developed in phases through a series of trial flights.

The first in the series of trials is the hypersonic flight experiment (HEX) followed by the landing experiment (LEX), return flight experiment (REX) and scramjet propulsion experiment (SPEX).

Hypersonic Flight Experiment (HEX)
Flight testing will start with RLV-TD (HEX). During the mission, a booster rocket (Single strap-on solid booster of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) with 9 tonne fuel.) will take the 1.5 tonne RLV 1/6 scale model to 70-km altitude and release it. The booster rocket will fall back into the sea. [via TNIE]

The lofted RLV will re-enter the atmosphere independently travelling at around 2-km / sec. The descent speed would be controlled using the fins. The RLV has protective tiles to dissipate frictional heat during re-entry.

In the first trial-flight, the RLV will not be recovered from sea because it will not be cost-effective to do so. ISRO will instead use telemetry data data on the re-entry, deceleration and return.

Landing Experiment (LEX)
In the second phase RLV will be tested without its scramjet engine. After burnout, the booster will separate and fall away, and the RLV-TD will go on to make an unpowered ascent.

The RLV-TD will then re-enter the atmosphere at hypersonic speed and use aerodynamic breaking to decelerate. It will perform a range maneuver at 15-km, a 2g turn towards its launch site. Once the TD reaches 0.8 M, it will light up a turbofan engine to cruise back to its launch site at 0.6M and make a horizontal landing on a runway.

Return Flight Experiment (REX)
In this phase, the RLV-TD will be launched to orbit and then de-orbited for a landing on a runway.

Scramjet Propulsion Experiment (SPEX)
ISRO is developing an air breathing scramjet engine under a separate project
called Air Breathing Propulsion Project (ABPP).


Theoretically, the use of a scramjet on a reusable launcher would reduce launch costs but the concept is not proven. ISRO itself harbors doubts on such use as a launcher traverses through atmospheric heights suited for scramjet propulsion very quickly. Also, a scramjet saves on propellant (oxidizer) cost which, as we have seen earlier, is less significant than hardware costs.

Two major technological challenges posed by scramjet are:


    • Sustaining scramjet propulsion
    • Generating more thrust than the increased drag
Both capabilities are yet to be demonstrated.

ISRO itself admits that at this stage, the only thing clear about the RLV program is the need to reduce launch costs.

In June 2016 ISRO Chairman, AS Kiran, was asked "what the ultimate objective of a winged configuration would be?"

"Right now we are clear about one of the objectives: we want to bring down the costs."

https://sites.google.com/site/india...unch-vehicle---technology-demonstrator-rlv-td
 
First IITs are not only an academic phenomenon but a cultural one as well in India.. Majority of Indians want to get into it and they drill hard for it.. Spending two/three and even four years of their lives with the sole purpose of getting an admission.

This process is like a crucible - it allows only the most deserving and hard working students to get in. (I don't approve of this now due to prevalence of coaching institutions) .

Such a rigid selection process ensures the quality of students which is far superior than almost anywhere except for few like MIT but even their rejection rate is a pale shadow if IITs..

That is why a stamp of IIT( Powai, Delhi, Kanpur, Madras, Kharagpur) is still worth it's weight in gold..
I wasted two years of my life to get through the JEE test 14 yrs back but couldn't..... One has to be a complete freak cum nerd who has given up all the desire enjoy the world & need to befriend with books like IRODOV to get through JEE..... That's why they are IITs ....

@Topic
Congratulations to Isro & scientists behind this success....
 
Aug 28, 2016
Successful Flight Testing of ISRO's Scramjet Engine Technology Demonstrator
The first experimental mission of ISRO’s Scramjet Engine towards the realisation of an Air Breathing Propulsion System was successfully conducted today (August 28, 2016) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota.

After a smooth countdown of 12 hours, the solid rocket booster carrying the Scramjet Engines, lifted off at 0600 hrs (6:00 am) IST. The important flight events, namely, burn out of booster rocket stage, ignition of second stage solid rocket, functioning of Scramjet engines for 5 seconds followed by burn out of the second stage took place exactly as planned.

After a flight of about 300 seconds, the vehicle touched down in the Bay of Bengal, approximately 320 km from Sriharikota. The vehicle was successfully tracked during its flight from the ground stations at Sriharikota.


With this flight, critical technologies such as ignition of air breathing engines at supersonic speed, holding the flame at supersonic speed, air intake mechanism and fuel injection systems have been successfully demonstrated.

The Scramjet engine designed by ISRO uses Hydrogen as fuel and the Oxygen from the atmospheric air as the oxidiser. Today’s test was the maiden short duration experimental test of ISRO’s Scramjet engine with a hypersonic flight at Mach 6. ISRO’s Advanced Technology Vehicle (ATV), which is an advanced sounding rocket, was the solid rocket booster used for today’s test of Scramjet engines at supersonic conditions. ATV carrying Scramjet engines weighed 3277 kg at lift-off.

ATV is a two stage spin stabilised launcher with identical solid motors (based on Rohini RH560 sounding rocket) as the first as well as the second stage (booster and sustainer). The twin Scramjet engines were mounted on the back of the second stage. Once the second stage reached the desired conditions for engine “Start-up”, necessary actions were initiated to ignite the Scramjet engines and they functioned for about 5 seconds. Today’s ATV flight operations were based on a pre-programmed sequence.

Some of the technological challenges handled by ISRO during the development of Scramjet engine include the design and development of Hypersonic engine air intake, the supersonic combustor, development of materials withstanding very high temperatures, computational tools to simulate hypersonic flow, ensuring performance and operability of the engine across a wide range of flight speeds, proper thermal management and ground testing of the engines.


India is the fourth country to demonstrate the flight testing of Scramjet Engine. The successful technology demonstration of air-breathing Scramjet engines in flight by ISRO today is a modest yet important milestone in its endeavour to design and develop advanced air breathing engines including engines for ISRO’s future space transportation system.

ATV 02 Liftoff Photos

sb2_17699.jpg
sb2_17777.jpg


atv_29788.jpg

atv_29833.jpg


atv_29855.jpg

http://www.isro.gov.in/update/28-au...isros-scramjet-engine-technology-demonstrator


Enjoy all
 
I wasted two years of my life to get through the JEE test 14 yrs back but couldn't..... One has to be a complete freak cum nerd who has given up all the desire enjoy the world & need to befriend with books like IRODOV to get through JEE..... That's why they are IITs ....

@Topic
Congratulations to Isro & scientists behind this success....
Yes Igor Irodov ... I still solve problems from that book... love it. That is one amazing book. His theory book is awesome too. The chapters are I. Conservation of Momentum, II. Con. of Angular momentum, III. con. of Energy etc.
What a brilliant way to learn physics.

Aug 28, 2016
Successful Flight Testing of ISRO's Scramjet Engine Technology Demonstrator
The first experimental mission of ISRO’s Scramjet Engine towards the realisation of an Air Breathing Propulsion System was successfully conducted today (August 28, 2016) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota.

After a smooth countdown of 12 hours, the solid rocket booster carrying the Scramjet Engines, lifted off at 0600 hrs (6:00 am) IST. The important flight events, namely, burn out of booster rocket stage, ignition of second stage solid rocket, functioning of Scramjet engines for 5 seconds followed by burn out of the second stage took place exactly as planned.

After a flight of about 300 seconds, the vehicle touched down in the Bay of Bengal, approximately 320 km from Sriharikota. The vehicle was successfully tracked during its flight from the ground stations at Sriharikota.


With this flight, critical technologies such as ignition of air breathing engines at supersonic speed, holding the flame at supersonic speed, air intake mechanism and fuel injection systems have been successfully demonstrated.

The Scramjet engine designed by ISRO uses Hydrogen as fuel and the Oxygen from the atmospheric air as the oxidiser. Today’s test was the maiden short duration experimental test of ISRO’s Scramjet engine with a hypersonic flight at Mach 6. ISRO’s Advanced Technology Vehicle (ATV), which is an advanced sounding rocket, was the solid rocket booster used for today’s test of Scramjet engines at supersonic conditions. ATV carrying Scramjet engines weighed 3277 kg at lift-off.

ATV is a two stage spin stabilised launcher with identical solid motors (based on Rohini RH560 sounding rocket) as the first as well as the second stage (booster and sustainer). The twin Scramjet engines were mounted on the back of the second stage. Once the second stage reached the desired conditions for engine “Start-up”, necessary actions were initiated to ignite the Scramjet engines and they functioned for about 5 seconds. Today’s ATV flight operations were based on a pre-programmed sequence.

Some of the technological challenges handled by ISRO during the development of Scramjet engine include the design and development of Hypersonic engine air intake, the supersonic combustor, development of materials withstanding very high temperatures, computational tools to simulate hypersonic flow, ensuring performance and operability of the engine across a wide range of flight speeds, proper thermal management and ground testing of the engines.


India is the fourth country to demonstrate the flight testing of Scramjet Engine. The successful technology demonstration of air-breathing Scramjet engines in flight by ISRO today is a modest yet important milestone in its endeavour to design and develop advanced air breathing engines including engines for ISRO’s future space transportation system.

ATV 02 Liftoff Photos

sb2_17699.jpg
sb2_17777.jpg


atv_29788.jpg

atv_29833.jpg


atv_29855.jpg

http://www.isro.gov.in/update/28-au...isros-scramjet-engine-technology-demonstrator


Enjoy all
beautiful
 
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