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Isro goes heavyweight with solid booster test

The booster would be strapped to the heavier geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV) MK-III, to provide the initial thrust.

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India successfully conducted the static testing of its largest solid booster – the S200 – at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday.

The success took scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) a step closer to their ambitious manned mission project. With the test, S200 became the third-largest solid booster in the world, after the reusable solid rocket motor solid booster of Nasa’s space shuttle and P230 solid booster of Ariane-5 of Arianespace, a launch service and solutions consortium of European countries.

The booster would be strapped to the heavier geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV) MK-III, to provide the initial thrust.

“It (the booster) is of vital importance in the launch vehicle’s development, which is in its final stages at the SDSC. It is a milestone achievement,” Isro said. The GSLV MK-III would launch India’s manned space mission to the moon in 2015.

The booster was fired for 130 seconds and it generated a peak thrust of about 500 tonnes. The performance of the booster was as predicted. Nearly 600 health parameters monitored during the test and the initial data indicated normalcy, Isro said.

The S200 booster contained 200 tonnes of solid propellant in three segments. The motor measured 22 metres in length and 3.2 metres in diameter.

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