President inaugurated ₹208-crore rocket engine manufacturing facility in Bengaluru

Tags: Defence Science and Technology National News

President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the Integrated Cryogenic Engines Manufacturing Facility of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bengaluru on 27 September.

Important facts

• The facility will promote self-reliance in manufacturing high-thrust rocket engines and will fulfil ISRO's desire to manufacture rocket engines.

• It has been constructed over a 4,500 square metre space and houses over 70 high-tech tools and testing facilities for the production of cryogenic (CE20) and semi-cryogenic (SE2000) engines for Indian rockets.

• This facility (ICMF) will complete the entire rocket engine manufacturing for ISRO under one roof.

• An MoU was signed with ISRO in 2013 for setting up a Cryogenic Engine Module production facility in the Aerospace Division of HAL.

• It was later amended to set up ICEMF in 2016 with an investment of Rs 208 crore.

• This was later updated in 2016 to allow setting up of ICMF with an investment of ₹208 crore.

• HAL has said that it will start production of the module by March 2023.

Manufactured by HAL Aerospace Division

• The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), 

• Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV MK-II), 

• Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV Mk-III), 

• Stage integration for GSLV Mk-II

Cryogenic engines 

• Cryogenic engines are the most commonly used engines in launch vehicles worldwide.

• Only France, China, Japan, Russia and the United States have mastered cryogenic technology because of the complexity of the cryogenic engine.

• India became the sixth country to develop a cryogenic engine in 2014, when GSLV-D5 was successfully flown using a cryogenic engine.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) 

• It was set up as Hindustan Aircraft Limited by Walchand Hirachand in 1940 at Bangalore (now Bengaluru), Karnataka.

• It was taken over by the government of India and merged with Aeronautics India limited and was renamed as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited on 1 October 1964.

• Its main business is to design, develop, manufacture, repair and overhaul of aircraft, helicopters, engines and related systems like avionics, instruments and accessories.

• It comes under the Ministry of Defence.

• Headquarters: Bengaluru