The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) reached another milestone in the Gaganyaan project – indiansupdate.com

The tests, which took place on July 26, marked a substantial advancement in the subsequent stage of the Systems Demonstrating Models (SM-SDM) series of tests for the support module. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) reached another milestone in the Gaganyaan project on July 26 by completing two more heat testing for the Gaganyaan Service Module Propulsion System (SMPS) at the Mahendragiri Powertrain Plant in Tamil Nadu.

This marks significant progress in the second phase of the System Demonstration Model (SM-SDM) test series for the service module. The critical component of the Gaganyaan mission, the SMPS, is designed and developed by the Liquid Propulsion System Centre (LPSC), located in Bangalore and Valiamala, Thiruvananthapuram. On July 19, 2023, the first heat test in this stage concluded successfully. The propellers were tested in the constant and flash modes, in accordance to the objective concept. The first hot test, which lasted 723.6 seconds, demonstrated Orbital Unit insertion as well as the verification burn of 100 N rockets and Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) motors.

This calibration burn was critical in identifying and isolating any inoperative motors, and both the LAM propellers and the Reaction Control System (RCS) Thrusters worked as predicted, showing that the experiment was effective. The major purpose of the succeeding hot test, which lasted 350 seconds, was to show the circularisation of the Orbital Modules in order to acquire the final orbit. The LAM engines ran in constant operation throughout this test, while the RCS Thrusters burned in pulsing form.