A file photo of the RH 560 sounding rocket, on which the Air Breathing Propulsion System was mounted during the test on July 22, 2024.
| Photo Credit: ISRO
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully carried out the second experimental flight for the demonstration of Air Breathing Propulsion Technology.
Also Read: ISRO has a problem: too many rockets, too few satellites to launch | Analysis
The second experimental flight for the demonstration of Air Breathing Propulsion Technology was carried out at 7 a.m. on July 22. The propulsion systems were symmetrically mounted on either side of a RH-560 Sounding Rocket and launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
RH-560 is a two-stage, solid motor based sub-orbital rocket that is designed to be utilised as a cost-effective flying test bed for the demonstration of advanced technologies. It is the heaviest sounding rocket in the ISRO’s family of sounding rockets, and is launched from Sriharikota.
According to ISRO, the flight test achieved satisfactory performance of the Sounding Rocket along with successful ignition of the Air Breathing Propulsion Systems. Nearly 110 parameters were monitored during the flight to assess its performance. The flight data from the mission will be useful for the next phase of development of Air Breathing Propulsion Systems.
Prior to the mission, multiple ground tests were carried out at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC), and at the CSIR -National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL), Bengaluru.
