ISRO fires gas generator for its new 1,100 kN LOX-methane engine
ISRO ran the first ignition test of the full-scale gas generator for its LME1100 methane engine on Oct. 9.
what happened
ISRO said it successfully carried out the first ignition test of the full-scale gas generator for its 1,100 kN LOX-methane engine (LME1100) on October 9, per the agency's own statement. The gas generator is realized through additive manufacturing and is undergoing qualification tests at ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC), with a series of further tests planned to evaluate performance under different conditions. ISRO formally initiated development of key LME1100 technologies, including its turbopumps, igniter, gas generator and thrust chamber, in 2023, building on an earlier 20-ton LM20 technology-demonstrator engine tested using existing CE-20 cryogenic-engine hardware. ISRO has identified LOX-methane as the primary propulsion choice for its Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV), and says the integrated LME1100 engine is targeted to be ready by the middle of 2027, when it will undergo a series of hot tests. A larger 2,400 kN LOX-methane engine is intended to enable a future heavy-lift, human-rated launch vehicle for crewed lunar landing missions.
why it matters
LOX-methane is ISRO's chosen propulsion baseline for NGLV, the vehicle meant to succeed LVM3 for heavier commercial and government payloads, so each subsystem qualification narrows the gap to flight-ready hardware. Launch customers and satellite operators planning around India's future heavy-lift capacity now have a dated marker of progress toward the agency's mid-2027 integrated-engine target.
for who
Launch customers planning around India's post-LVM3 heavy-lift capacity
signal-to-noise
quick facts
- Companies
- ISRO
- Category
- launch
- Impact
- notable
- SNR
- 5 / 5
- Event date
- 2026-10-09
- Published
- 2026-10-17 11:22 UTC