Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV) / Project Soorya: News & Updates
- Thread starter Gautam
- Start date
Engines are said to be producing 240tons each. So, this won't be powered by the LME-1100. Instead, this will be the engine:
These numbers and configuration are very close to blue origin's New Glenn rocket.
I don't think it's possible to develop and prove the LME2400 engine within the current time frame they are projecting. Maybe we should consider getting the BE-4 engine from Blue Origin as a stopgap solution?.
do we know the payload details? Its looks like there are no concrete details out there and so many websites have conflicting opinions
The configuration isn't fixed yet. ISRO started the NGLV design to make a partially re-usable heavy lift launch vehicle with max dia. of 5 m & a gross lift off mass of ~700 tons. The 1st variant was comparable with the Araine-6 or the Falcon 9 Heavy in size & payload capacity.
GoI had then set a target for ISRO to have a human moon landing in the 2040s. In preparation for the manned landing, un-crewed lunar descent & return missions have to start by around 2033-35. ISRO initailly thought they would design a separate rocket for the lunar missions called LMLV. Now they seem to have merged the NGLV & the LMLV into a single project.
A lunar manned mission will require a super heavy lift rocket. That's why the NGLV's base variant is getting bigger. From 5m dia & 700-ton GLOM, the design has evolved to 6.5 m dia & 1200-ton GLOM. The rocket is now comparable in size to the Blue Origin's New Glen. Look at post #27 for payload details of the latest configuration. I think they are under playing the payload capacity. As the design gets more refined those numbers will get updated.
NGLV is supposed to have its 1st flight around 2031. A variant of the NGLV (with 3x liquid Stage-1 boosters) will be used for these lunar missions.
On the engine side, ISRO was initially going for LME-110, a GG based Methalox engine. That engine won't produce enough thrust for the latest design of the rocket. So, ISRO will probably convert the SCE-200 into a Methalox engine. They are calling it the LME-240. Later they will uprate this engine to ~3MN class & call it LME-300.
LME-240 has to be ready for flight within the next 5 years. The speed of progress of the SCE-200 isn't very encouraging.
But this is pre the NGLV expansion so the specs especially the engines are now off.
I have posted about this before. One production bottleneck we had in India was the capability to make aerospace grade Aluminum & Titanium alloys rings of 5+m dia. This had restricted the design of the NGLV. ISRO had to keep the initial NGLV designs at 5 m dia or less.
These rings form the interstage of rockets & are load bearing components. A lower dia means a lower stiffness & lower buckling resistance. Thus, restricting the dia means increasing the wall thickness of the interstage rings to survive the same Max Q. That in turn reduces the payload of the LV.
ISRO has thus been investing to get this production bottleneck removed. Over the last year we saw the NGLV concept designs go from 5m dia to 5.4m then to 6.5m.
Recently, Balu Forge has acquired a ring rolling machine capable of producing 6.7 m dia rings weighing up to 18 tons. BF & Godrej are also in the fray for this:
I get a feeling that the NGLV will eventually end up having a dia of 7-7.5m. That would be necessary to accommodate a cluster of 9x LME-240/LME-300 engines. The height of the LV was 73m initially, now its 105m. That will also probably increase another 10-15 m.
The final NGLV would probably be equivalent to the New Glen's super heavy variant in size & payload.
These rings form the interstage of rockets & are load bearing components. A lower dia means a lower stiffness & lower buckling resistance. Thus, restricting the dia means increasing the wall thickness of the interstage rings to survive the same Max Q. That in turn reduces the payload of the LV.
ISRO has thus been investing to get this production bottleneck removed. Over the last year we saw the NGLV concept designs go from 5m dia to 5.4m then to 6.5m.
Recently, Balu Forge has acquired a ring rolling machine capable of producing 6.7 m dia rings weighing up to 18 tons. BF & Godrej are also in the fray for this:
I get a feeling that the NGLV will eventually end up having a dia of 7-7.5m. That would be necessary to accommodate a cluster of 9x LME-240/LME-300 engines. The height of the LV was 73m initially, now its 105m. That will also probably increase another 10-15 m.
The final NGLV would probably be equivalent to the New Glen's super heavy variant in size & payload.
