ISRO Successfully Conducts CE20 Cryogenic Engine Flight-Acceptance Test for LVM3-M7 Mission

ISRO successfully carried out the flight-acceptance hot test of the CE20 cryogenic engine earmarked for the LVM3-M7 mission on 6 July 2026 at the Main Engine & Stage Test facility, ISRO Propulsion Complex, Mahendragiri (Tamil Nadu). For the first time, the test used a newly developed Nozzle Protection System (NPS) to test the full area-ratio-100 nozzle under sea-level conditions at a thrust of 22 tonnes. The indigenously developed CE20 powers the upper stage of the LVM3 and has flown eight successive LVM3 missions (including Chandrayaan-2 and Chandrayaan-3); it is human-rated for the Gaganyaan mission. The CE20 is developed by ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC).