The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully carried out the static test of the HS200 solid rocket booster, taking the space agency one more step closer to the keenly awaited Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission.
The test was held at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, on Friday morning. Designed and developed by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram over two years, the HS200 booster is the 'human-rated' version of the S200 rocket boosters used on the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk-III (GSLV Mk-III), also called the LVM3.
The GSLV Mk-III rocket which will be used for the Gaganyaan mission will have two HS200 boosters which will supply the thrust for lift-off. The HS200 is a 20-metre-long booster witha diameter of 3.2 metres and is the world’s second largest operational booster using solid propellants. During Friday's test, about 700 parameters were monitored and the performance of all the systems were normal, ISRO said. Loaded with 203 tons of solid propellant, the HS200 booster was tested for a duration of 135 seconds.
