Raja Ramanna Advanced Technology Centre & ISRO's Liquid Propulsion System Centre Signed MoU; Rocket tech To Materialise In 2 Years

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): ISRO has begun working on the plan to send astronauts to the moon by 2040. The expected payload of rockets for the mission is 30 tonnes. In this direction, an MoU was signed between Raja Ramanna Advanced Technology Centre (RRCAT) and ISRO's Liquid Propulsion System Centre (LPSC) on Wednesday.

Both the institutes will work on developing such a technology with the help of which a weight of up to 30k kg can be easily transported to space and the moon. The launch vehicle is targeted to be made on the technology of Surya's engine within the next two years. ISRO's LPSC Director Dr V Narayanan said that the new generation launch vehicle Surya is being made.

This will be the engine of the launch vehicle based on liquid oxygen and methane propulsion. ‘A time period of 18 to 24 months has been set to develop the technology of the engine.

The engine will be developed at CAT on the basis of its technology, which is Laser Additive Manufacturing (LAM)’, he said. He added that at present ISRO is capable of making only 2 to 3 rockets per year, but at least 25 rocket engines will be used in the new launch vehicle and India will have to increase its capacity to make such engines.

The special thing is that this technology will be completely indigenous, in which no help will be taken from any other country in relation to the technology. CAT Director Unmesh D Malshe said that as soon as the technology is developed at CAT, the engine can be made as per one's requirement.

This is ISRO's first contract with LPSC. He said that laser additive manufacturing (LAM) technology is being used for the first time. It will be seven to eight times bigger than the first launch vehicle. Only then will the engine have the capacity to lift such a heavy weight.

It will take eight years to physically build the engine. Initially, the engine will be used to send goods into space through the rocket. After that, Indian astronauts will be able to go to the moon.