Gaganyaan: ISRO Reports ‘Normal Performance’ After Another Hot Test On Service Module Propulsion System

After two hot tests on Wednesday (26 July), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) conducted the next hot test on the Gaganyaan Service Module Propulsion System the next day.

The test took place on Thursday (27 July) at the ISRO Propulsion Complex, near Kanyakumari, in Mahendragiri Hills, Tamil Nadu. The Tirunelveli site is a major testing centre for ISRO's liquid propulsion systems.

The latest hot test marks the fourth in the Service Module–System Demonstration model (SM-SDM) phase 2 test series.

The first hot test was conducted on 19 July and the second and third on 26 July. Two more hot tests remain.

The test on Thursday lasted 700 seconds. The liquid apogee motor (LAM) engines and reaction control system (RCS) thrusters were fired in continuous and pulse modes, ISRO said in a tweet, adding, “The performance was normal.”

The Service Module Propulsion System (SMPS) is designed and developed by the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, which has a campus each in Valiamala/Thiruvananthapuram and Bengaluru.

The SMPS is a regulated bi-propellant-based propulsion system that caters to the requirements of the orbital module.

The 440 N thrust LAM engines provide the main propulsive force during the mission ascent phase, while the RCS thrusters ensure precise attitude correction.

Gaganyaan aims to showcase India's human spaceflight capability.

The plan involves launching a crew of three members into a 400 km orbit for a three-day mission and safely bringing them back to Earth by landing in the Indian sea waters.