ISRO Successfully Hot-Tests Upgraded CE20 Cryogenic Engine for LVM3

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said it successfully conducted a flight acceptance hot test of its CE20 cryogenic engine at an uprated thrust of 220 kN, marking another step toward the upcoming LVM3 mission. The test was carried out at the ISRO Propulsion Complex in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu, on September 9, ISRO said in a post on X.

The engine tested is earmarked for the C32 upper stage of the upcoming LVM3 mission, and the 220 kN test represents the uprated thrust condition for the cryogenic engine, aimed at validating its performance ahead of its flight assignment. During the same test, ISRO also successfully demonstrated the performance of the LOX Tank Pressurization Module, which is designed for the C32 stages intended for the Gaganyaan missions.

The test comes as ISRO continues to develop and qualify advanced propulsion and launch systems for India's expanding space programme. The LVM3 remains a key launch vehicle for the country's heavier missions and is also central to India's human spaceflight ambitions.

ISRO has said India's space-sector reforms aim to build a larger national space ecosystem in which private industry, startups and academia complement the agency's work, while ISRO focuses increasingly on advanced research, frontier technologies and complex national missions.