On the occasion of the birth anniversary of Prof. Satish Dhawan, a pioneer who spearheaded ISRO’s efforts as the organization’s second Chairman, an Indian space startup has unveiled their indigenously developed cryogenic engine Dhawan-I. This cryogenic engine is meant to fuel the upper stage of their rocket Vikram-II.
The company, Skyroot Aerospace has already tested a solid-fueled engine, but the cryogenic engine is even more significant because of the extreme complexity in the technology and the handling of its fuels. A cryogenic engine uses liquid fuel and an oxidizer that is maintained at extremely cold temperatures. Cryogenic is a generic term that can be used to describe temperatures below -150 degrees Celsius. Such engines are used in the uppermost stages of rockets, which are used for propulsion in space.
A typical rocket consists of two or more stages,…