By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi visited Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC) at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala and inaugurated three important space infrastructure projects worth around Rs 1800 crores on Tuesday .
Governor of Kerala, Shri Arif Mohammad Khan, Chief Minister of Kerala, Shri Pinrayii Vijayan, Union Minister of State, V. Muraleedharan and Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman ISRO, Shri S Somnath were present on the occasion among others.
The projects include the SLV Integration Facility (PIF) at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota; the new ‘Semi-cryogenics Integrated Engine and Stage Test facility’ at ISRO Propulsion Complex at Mahendragiri; and ‘Trisonic Wind Tunnel’ at VSSC, Thiruvananthapuram.
Shri Modi also reviewed the progress of the Gaganyaan Mission and bestowed ‘astronaut wings’ to the four astronaut-designates. The astronaut-designates are Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla.
The Prime Minister’s vision to reform the country’s space sector to realize its full potential and his commitment to enhancing technical and R&D capability in the sector gets a boost as three important space infrastructure projects are being inaugurated during his visit to Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram. The projects include the PSLV Integration Facility (PIF) at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota; the new ‘Semi-cryogenics Integrated Engine and Stage Test facility’ at ISRO Propulsion Complex at Mahendragiri; and ‘Trisonic Wind Tunnel’ at VSSC, Thiruvananthapuram. These three projects providing world-class technical facilities for the space sector have been developed at a cumulative cost of about Rs. 1800 crore.
The PSLV Integration Facility (PIF) at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota will help in boosting the frequency of PSLV launches from 6 to 15 per year. This state-of-the-art facility can also cater to the launches of SSLV and other small launch vehicles designed by private space companies.
The new ‘Semi-cryogenics Integrated Engine and Stage Test facility’ at IPRC Mahendragiri will enable the development of semi-cryogenic engines and stages which will increase the payload capability of the present launch vehicles. The facility is equipped with liquid Oxygen and kerosene supply systems to test engines up to 200 tons of thrust.
Wind tunnels are essential for aerodynamic testing for the characterisation of rockets and aircraft during flight in the atmospheric regime. The “Trisonic Wind Tunnel” at VSSC being inaugurated is a complex technological system which will serve our future technology development needs.
During his visit, the Prime Minister also reviewed the progress of the Gaganyaan Mission and bestowed ‘astronaut wings’ to the astronaut-designates. The Gaganyaan Mission is India’s first human space flight program for which extensive preparations are underway at various ISRO centers.
