VSSC’s Air Breathing Propulsion test with Scramjet postponed

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The much-awaited test of the advanced Air-Breathing Propulsion System (ABPS) as part of Scramjet engine developed by Vikram Sarabhai Space Station (VSSC) which was set for launch with Rohini series sounding rocket RH 560 on Thursday, is postponed to a later date. It is likely to be launched in August, yet the exact date will be finalised only after search operations to locate the missing IAF aircraft AN-32 comes to an end, with the support of ISRO's satellite imagery.
“After July 30, fresh date for the test of ABPS as part of the scramjet engine for the launch of RH 560 will be finalised and the launch is likely to be in August,” a distinguished scientist of VSSC told TOI.Though the mission readiness meet for ABPS test flight was held by ISRO establishments including VSSC and Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), the flight test will be delayed in its bid to prevent space clogging and to support the search operations to locate the missing IAF aircraft AN-32 with ISRO's satellite imagery, he said.
This ABPS technology in the scramjet engine uses atmospheric air as the oxidiser for combustion with rocket fuel as a propellant. As the engine inhales the atmospheric oxygen, it spares the rocket or launch vehicle the need to carry oxidisers, thus relieving it from increased payload space. Earlier it was planned for launch in 2013, but due to pressing demands of other launches it was postponed. Now, the test was planned for 260 seconds for the sounding rocket which was planned for a lift off to 70 km at a speed of six times the speed of sound at Mach 6.
VSSC director K Sivan has confirmed that the test launch of ABPS had been postponed and that the fresh date is yet to be finalised.
ABPS will have an Inlet vent to let in oxygen, a Combustor where oxygen from air that acts as oxidiser burns with gaseous fuel to produce heat and a Nozzle or Outlet that releases exhaust gases producing the required thrust of flight. The ABPS can bring down space travel cost by 1/10th and eventually 1/100th later, ISRO chairman AS Kiran Kumar told TOI earlier.
When contacted, LPSC director S Somnath said the fresh date for launch of ABPS is yet to be finalised. The launch GSLV-Mark II will be as per the schedule and it is planned for launch by August end, he said.
“The GSLV-Mark II planned for launch on August 27 will be the fourth flight to test the indigenous cryogenic engine and it will place GSAT-6 satellite in the geostationary transfer orbit (GTO),” he said. Following that, PSLV-C35 launch is planned for launch in September this year.
The GSLV-Mark III flight which will place the GSAT-19 satellite in orbit is planned for launch by December this year, said GSLV Mark-III project director G Ayyappan.