Boost for India as ISRO successfully tests scramjet engines

Chennai: India on Sunday successfully tested the Advanced Technology Vehicle (ATV) which is a research rocket equipped with advanced scramjet engines. It is tested at Sriharikota Range (SHAR) in Sriharikota.

ATV is used for testing scramjet engines, also known as air breathing engine.

"The mission was successful. Two scramjet engines were tested during the flight,” said senior official of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

SHAR director P. Kunhikrishnan and ISRO chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar attended the event at Sriharikota.

The test is a milestone for India as it becomes the fourth nation to successfully demonstrate the flight testing of scramjet engines.

"With this flight, critical technologies such as ignition of air breathing engines at supersonic speed, holding the flame at supersonic speed, air intake mechanism and fuel injection systems have been successfully demonstrated,” ISRO said in a statement.

ISRO designed scramjet engine uses oxygen from atmospheric air as oxidiser and hydrogen as fuel.

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