By Express News Service
BENGALURU: Defence aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) on Thursday delivered its heaviest semi-cryogenic propellant tank (SC120- LOX) ever fabricated to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
The semi cryo-liquid oxygen (LOX) tank – the first developmental welded hardware is a part of the SC120 stage intended for payload enhancement by replacing the L110 stage in the existing Mk-III launch vehicle.
Last year, HAL had delivered the biggest ever cryogenic Liquid Hydrogen tank (C32-LH2) which is four meters in diameter and eight meters in length, much ahead of the contractual schedule.
The propellant tank was handed over by MK Mishra, General Manager, Aerospace Division, HAL, to TKB Kumaresh Babu, General Manager (LHWC), Head of the resident team of Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), ISRO, in the presence of P Srinivasa Rao, Group Director (SR)-LPSC, at a function held in HAL.
HAL has mastered the skills and technologies required for fabricating welded propellant tanks. To date, its Aerospace Division has delivered 244 propellant tanks and 95 water tanks to ISRO for the space programmes of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLVs), Geo-stationary Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mk-II, and GSLV Mk-III of diameter 2.1, 2.8, and 4 metres where the length of the tank varies from 2.5 to 8 metres.
As a strategic reliable partner, HAL has been associating with ISRO for India’s prestigious space programs for the last five decades and has delivered critical structures, tankages, satellite structures for PSLV, GSLV-MkII, and GSLV-MkIII launch vehicles.
Various new projects like PS2/GS2 integration, Semi-cryo structure fabrication, and manufacturing of cryo and semi cryo engines are being taken up at HAL, for which installation and commissioning of unique infrastructures are nearing completion.
HAL has supported ISRO right from the developmental phase of Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment, PAD Abort test for Crew Escape for Human Space Mission, and is currently supplying hardware for full-fledged launch vehicle GSLV Mk-III for a prestigious manned space mission, the Gaganyaan programme.
