Dhawan II Engine
Context : Skyroot Aerospace successfully test-fired 3D-printed engine ‘Dhawan-II’ for a record 200 seconds.
Dhawan-II - current for UPSC in English
In 2021, Skyroot successfully tested India’s first privately developed fully Cryogenic rocket engine ‘Dhawan-I’ which will power Vikram-I.
‘Dhawan-II’ is a 3.5 Kilo Newton (kN) engine which is the successor of ‘Dhawan-I’ (1.0 kN).
The endurance test of ‘Dhawan-II’ was carried out at Solar Industries propulsion test facility in Nagpur.
The engine was developed by Skyroot Aerospace for its heavier vehicle, Vikram II.
The Dhawan-II cryogenic engine will be used as the upper stage of the updated version Vikram II.
Fully cryogenic engines are ideal for the upper stages of a rocket due to their higher specific impulse that enhances payload-carrying capabilities.
The cryogenic rocket engine uses 2 high-performance rocket fuels which require cryogenic temperatures (below -150° Celsius) for storage and operation.
Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) and Liquid Oxygen (LoX) are the 2 cryogenic rocket fuels.
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