About CE-20 cryogenic engine:
- It has been designed and developed by the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) , a subsidiary of ISRO.
- It will power the Cryogenic Upper Stage of the LVM3 launch vehicle for the Chandrayaan-3 mission.
- It is the first Indian cryogenic engine to feature a gas-generator cycle.
- It is one of the most powerful upper-stage cryogenic engines in the world.
- This engine develops a nominal thrust of 186.36 kN in vacuum.
What is a Cryogenic stage?
- The cryogenic stage is technically a very complex system due to its use of propellants at extremely low temperatures and the associated thermal and structural problems.
- It uses liquid fuels that are cooled to very low temperatures.
- A Cryogenic rocket stage is more efficient and provides more thrust for every kilogram of propellant it burns compared to solid and earth-storable liquid propellant rocket stages.
Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
- Chandrayaan-3 is India’s third moon mission and is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface.
- Chandrayaan-3 mission has three major modules — the Propulsion module, Lander module, and Rover.
- The mission is slated to be launched later this year by Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (LMV3) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota.
