After Chandrayaan-2, Godrej Aerospace Is Readying For India’s Manned Mission To Space

As Indian Space Research Organisation prepares for its first lunar landing in early hours of Sept. 7, Godrej Aerospace is part of that history.

The Mumbai-based arm of the consumer goods-to-real estate Godrej Group built the Vikas liquid propulsion engine and the cryogenic engine used in the second and third stages of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle. The firm also made the thrusters that will control the speed of descent of Chandrayaan-2’s Vikram lander, with the Pragyan rover inside, to the moon’s south pole in the last 20 minutes. The thrusters will help counter the moon’s gravity, ensuring a smooth touchdown.

A successful landing of the Chandrayaan-2 will propel India into an elite club of the U.S., Russia and China that have made a soft-landing on the moon. And it builds on the nation’s space-faring capability, proven with the Chandrayaan-1 and the Mangalyaan missions.

Godrej Aerospace contributed to both the milestones. It built engines for the polar and the geosynchronous satellite launch vehicles used by ISRO.

The next big step will be India’s manned mission to space. India plans to send a three-member crew into space by 2022. Prior to that, ISRO will send a crewless craft into the space.

While ISRO is planning a higher payload that will require stronger engines, the existing GSLV Mk-III launch vehicle can be used for the Gaganyaan project with some modification, said SM Vaidya, executive vice president and business head at Godrej Aerospace. “The manned mission will require engines with a higher reliability and we have been able to achieve over 99 percent.”

Meanwhile, to enhance the capacity, ISRO is working on semi-cryogenic engines that will help double the payload to 8 tonnes. Stronger engines allow launch vehicles to carry higher payloads and for longer distances.

Godrej Aerospace makes the semi-cryo engines and has won the contract from ISRO. The engine needs to be tested before productionisation begins, SM Vaidya, executive vice president and business head at Godrej Aerospace, told BloombergQuint in an interview. But it won’t be ready for the Gaganyaan, he said.

Future missions involving a space station and manned flights can be powered by the semi-cryo engine, he said.

A Growing Business

Godrej Aerospace makes eight to 10 engines every year for the launch vehicles. The PSLV privatisation will take the capacity to 18-20 engines a year, said Vaidya.

ISRO has sought expressions of interest from private companies to be part of the consortium for PSLV productionisation. The agency floated a new firm, New Space India Ltd., where ISRO will own the majority stake and the rest will be held by partners.

The private sector will move from being manufacturers to integrators and to marketers for the PSLV, said Vaidya, adding that it will be a steep learning curve.

The company expects more orders for projects involving PSLV, GSLV and other missions. Godrej Aerospace is setting up a new facility in Khalapur, near Mumbai. Vaidya said the company plans to invest close to Rs 200 crore in the next three years on the facility, close to what it has invested in the last five years.

Watch the full interview here: