Godrej Aerospace Delivers Vikas Engine to ISRO for Upcoming Gaganyaan Mission

Godrej Enterprises Group’s Aerospace business has delivered a human-rated L110 stage Vikas Engine to ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) on Thursday. The engine will support ISRO’s upcoming Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission, which aims to send Indian astronauts into space.

The mission aims for a crewed launch, tentatively planned for 2027, following three uncrewed launches, with the first one scheduled before the end of the current financial year (March 2026). 

The engine will be used in the LVM3 Gaganyaan Launch Vehicle, designed by ISRO to carry the crew module. The vehicle will lift off with Indian astronauts who will complete planned experiments before returning to Earth.

Maneck Behramkamdin, executive VP and business head of the Aerospace business, said, “This is not just a milestone for Godrej Enterprises Group, but also a matter of immense national pride. Contributing to India’s first human spaceflight programme is both an honour and a responsibility that we carry with the highest commitment.” 

He added that the achievement reaffirms the company’s four-decade-long partnership with ISRO and shows its capability in delivering mission-critical technology. The company has contributed engines and components for missions including Chandrayaan and NISAR.

This development added to ISRO’s latest announcement on Tuesday. The space organisation completed a key test of the main parachutes for the Gaganyaan crew module at the Babina Field Firing Range in Jhansi on November 3. 

The test is part of the ongoing Integrated Main Parachute Airdrop Tests that will qualify the parachute system for the mission. The system has ten parachutes across four types, including apex cover separation parachutes, drogue parachutes, pilot parachutes and main parachutes.

ISRO evaluated the system under an extreme scenario involving a delay in the disreefing of one main parachute. A simulated crew module mass was dropped from an altitude of 2.5 km using an IL-76 aircraft. The parachutes deployed as intended, and the test article achieved a stable descent and soft landing.

The test involved teams from the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment, DRDO, the Indian Air Force and the Indian Army. It marks further progress toward qualifying the parachute system for human spaceflight.