HAL Congratulates ISRO, Partnership to Strengthen with ICMF Facility
The two public sector companies will setup an Integrated Cryogenic Engine Manufacturing Facility (ICMF) at HAL’s Aerospace Division
HAL congratulates ISRO for the successfully prodding sleeping engine of the Mars spacecraft back to life and for making it fire briefly yesterday. “Our best wishes are with them for tomorrow’s operations that would put the spacecraft in the red planet’s orbit”, says Dr. R.K. Tyagi, Chairman, HAL. The HAL-ISRO partnership will further get strengthened in the years to come. An Integrated Cryogenic Engine Manufacturing Facility (ICMF) will be set-up at HAL’s Aerospace Division here and the division will manufacture cryogenic/semi cryogenic engines for ISRO, he adds.
Discussions with ISRO are already on for Assembly Integration and Testing of IRNSS satellites and for productionisation of propulsion sub-system for spacecraft and launch vehicle projects. Work packages for the Chandrayan-2 and Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) projects are also on the anvil.
HAL has partnered and supported ISRO throughout its journey by providing hardware for satellites, SLV, ASLV, PSLV, GSLVMKII and GSLV MKIII (LVM3).
HAL’s association with India’s prestigious Space Program dates back to early 70s, when HAL provided technical inputs and manufacturing support to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for realisation of light alloy structural assemblies for satellites and launch vehicle. HAL had built the structural assembly of India’s first satellite “Aryabhata” which was launched on April 19, 1975. The association further strengthened with vital inputs from HAL to build the satellites “Bhaskara-1”, “Apple” and Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV). The technical capabilities of HAL made ISRO to partner with HAL in all its space endeavours and it wanted a Division of HAL totally dedicated to cater to its growing requirement of space worthy hardware.
HAL Aerospace Division was hence conceptualised in early 80s by an MOU signed between Prof. Satish Dhawan Chairman, ISRO and Air Chief Marshal L.M.Katre, Chairman, HAL in May 1983. A full-fledged Aerospace Division took birth on March 25, 1988 and was dedicated to the nation on April 19, 1991. Since then, HAL has been a vital partner of ISRO and their mainstay for the realization of critical components, structural assemblies for launch vehicles and satellites and propellant tankages for the launch vehicles.
HAL started off with fabrication of structures and tankages for SLV,ASLV, PSLV Launch Vehicles. Since then the facilities have been augmented/modernised continuously over time to manufacture structures and propellant tankages of different types and sizes, different materials and varied complexities. In an effort to move up the value chain, HAL took up the total stage integration of the L40 booster stage of GSLV MKII vehicle and has successfully delivered 24 fully integrated stages till date.
