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ISRO conducted a flight acceptance hot test of the indigenous CE20 cryogenic engine at an uprated thrust of 220 kN on 9 September 2026.
The test was carried out at the ISRO Propulsion Complex, Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu, on an engine earmarked for the upgraded C32 upper stage of a coming LVM3 mission.
The uprated 220 kN (about 22-tonne) configuration is meant to raise LVM3's payload-carrying capability.
ISRO also demonstrated the LOX Tank Pressurisation Module (LTPM), designed for the C32 stages of Gaganyaan missions.
A flight acceptance test verifies that an engine meant for an actual mission meets performance parameters before it is cleared for integration with the launch vehicle.
Cryogenic engines burn liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen, stored at extremely low temperatures. The combination gives far more thrust per kilogram of propellant than solid or storable liquid fuels, which is why it is used on upper stages that must push heavy satellites to high orbits.
Simple Analogy: More distance from every litre in the tank - at the cost of a very cold, very demanding fuel.
India's national space agency under the Department of Space; developed the CE20 engine and the LVM3 launch vehicle
ISRO's centre for assembly, integration and testing of liquid and cryogenic propulsion systems; site of the 9 September 2026 hot test
ISRO centre responsible for developing liquid and cryogenic propulsion stages, including the CE20 engine
GS Paper 3 > Science and Technology - space, indigenisation of technology
General Awareness > Science and technology, ISRO centres and missions
Read the following statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Choose the correct option: Assertion (A): The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is widely recognized as the workhorse launch vehicle of ISRO. Reason (R): PSLV is highly versatile, capable of launching a diverse range of payloads into various Earth orbits (including Earth Observation, small Geosynchronous, and Navigation satellites), and boasts an exceptionally high mission success rate across its different variants.
Answer: Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
ISRO's indigenous cryogenic engine for the LVM3 upper stage, now hot-tested at an uprated 220 kN.
A test on a mission-bound engine to confirm it meets performance parameters before integration with the launch vehicle.
The upgraded LVM3 cryogenic upper stage carrying about 32 tonnes of propellant, replacing the 25-tonne C25.