ISRO’s first experimental mission Scramjet Engine successfully conducted
Q. First experimental mission of ISRO’s Scramjet Engine was carried out using Advanced Technology Vehicle. What was the weight of the entire load at lift off?- Published on 29 Aug 16a. 3377 kg
b. 3277 kg
c. 3477 kg
d. 3577 kg
ANSWER: 3277 kg
The first experimental mission of ISRO’s Scramjet Engine towards the realisation of an Air Breathing Propulsion System was successfully conducted from Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota.
- Following a smooth countdown of 12 hours, the solid rocket booster carrying the Scramjet Engines lifted off at 6:00 am IST on 28th August 2016. The important flight events namely burnout of booster rocket stage, ignition of second stage solid rocket, functioning of Scramjet engines for 5 seconds followed by burnout of the second stage went exactly as planned.
- Following a flight of 300 seconds, vehicle touched down in the Bay of Bengal approximately 320 km from Sriharikota.
- The vehicle was successfully tracked during its light 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.
- Scramjet engine designed by ISRO uses hydrogen as fuel and the and O2 from the atmospheric air as the oxidiser.
- The test conducted was a maiden short duration experimental test of the ISRO Scramjet engine with the hypersonic flight at Mach 6.
- ISRO’s Advanced Technology vehicle 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 stabiliser launcher with identical solid motors based on Rohini RH560 sounding rocket at the first as well as the second stage (booster and sustainer). Twin scramjet engines were mounted on the back of the second stage and once it was reached, desired conditions for engine startup necessary actions were initiated to ignite the Scramjet engines and they functioned for about 5 seconds.
- Today’s AT flight operations were based on pre-programmed sequence.
- Some of the technological challenges handled by ISRO during the development of the Scramjet engine include the design and development of hypersonic engine air intake, the supersonic combustor, development of materials withstanding very high temperature, 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 the Scramjet Engine. The successful technology demonstration of air breathing Scramjet Engine in flight by ISRO today is a modest yet important milestone in the endeavour to design and develop advanced air breathing engines including engines for ISRO future space transportation system.
