ISRO Successfully Hot-Tests the CE20 Cryogenic Engine at 220 kN Thrust for LVM3

11 September 2026National

ISRO successfully conducted a flight acceptance hot test of the indigenous CE20 cryogenic engine at 220 kilonewton (kN) thrust at Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu, for LVM3 missions. CE20 burns liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid hydrogen (LH2) and powers the upper stage of India's heavy-lift launch vehicle; the uprated C32 stage integrates the engine at 220 kN to raise payload capacity. Besides validating engine performance at the 22-tonne thrust level, the test also successfully demonstrated the LOX Tank Pressurisation Module (LTPM) developed for the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme, making it a dual-purpose qualification run for both heavy-lift and crewed mission hardware.

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The ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) at Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu, tests liquid and cryogenic propulsion systems | LVM3, earlier called GSLV Mk III, launched Chandrayaan-2 (2019), Chandrayaan-3 (2023) and the OneWeb commercial missions | CE20 was developed by the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), Valiamala, Thiruvananthapuram

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