ISRO showcases homegrown supersonic combustion ramjet

ISRO showcases homegrown supersonic combustion ramjet

India is one of the many countries trying to develop solutions for cheaper space transport vehicles and they have just received their first success in a project undertaken by the Indian Space Research Organization. ISRO scientists have completed ground tests of the homegrown supersonic combustion ramjet (Scramjet).

This technology can someday power India’s homegrown hypersonic planes. The engine developed by the agency achieved a speed of six mach (the speed of sound) and it stayed at this phenomenal speed for around seven seconds. This means that the engine has capacity to fly a plane at around three times faster than existing fighter jets. More importantly, it is designed to consume less fuel resources than existing solutions.

USA happens to be the only country to have successfully conducted a Scramjet flight in air. Other nations building similar technical capable planes are China, Russia, Japan, Australia, and Europe. India has now joined this list of nations working on their homegrown technology to build their own Scramjets.

Indian Space Research Organization said in a statement on this experiment: “The tests were conducted over a period of two years. A national committee has certified the ground tests.” ISRO is now aiming to conduct an aerial experiment within the next three years. They are considering releasing this air-breathing engine from a two-stage sounding rocket.

ISRO believes that such a plane would be capable of reducing the expense of carrying payloads to space in the longer run.