Chennai, May 13: In a major step, Isro on Saturday successfully tested the indigenous cryogenic engine to be used to propel the country's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle.
The test was conducted at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu's Tirunelveli district.
"The acceptance test of the indigenous cryogenic engine for the forthcoming GSLV-D5 flight was conducted successfully for 200 seconds at 17:10 hrs...," an ISRO statement said.
"The performance of the engine was as predicted," it said. ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan had said last month that GSLV would undergo two more tests at the Mahendragiri facility.
Isro is on to a massive launch mission. Twenty-four satellites will be launched in the next 24 months, Isro chairman K Radhakrishnan said at the 40th-year celebrations of the Isro Satellite Centre (ISAC). A 3,400-kg Gsat will be launched in September with 30 transponders aboard.
