Sat Feb 08 07:08:14 UTC 2025: ## ISRO Successfully Tests Cryogenic Engine for Gaganyaan Mission
**Bengaluru, February 8, 2025** – The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced the successful completion of a crucial ignition trial for its indigenous CE20 cryogenic engine. The test, conducted Friday at the High Altitude Test Facility in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu, involved igniting the engine under vacuum conditions, simulating the environment of space. This engine is vital for the Gaganyaan mission, India’s ambitious human spaceflight program.
The trial focused on restarting the engine using a multi-element igniter, a complex process ISRO is actively researching. The agency is exploring a “bootstrap mode” for turbopump initiation, aiming to enhance the engine’s capability for multiple restarts during flight. While the engine is already qualified for single-start operation at thrust levels between 19 and 22 tonnes, this new test is a significant step towards enabling the multiple restarts needed for a crewed mission. The engine was developed by ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre.
First Piper 