ISRO Tests CE20 Engine Breakthrough for Gaganyaan

ISRO Achieves Major Breakthrough in Gaganyaan Engine Test

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has made an important
breakthrough for its human spaceflight programme. Engineers successfully
tested a new start-up method for the CE20 cryogenic engine, which will launch
the Gaganyaan mission on the LVM3 rocket.

On November 7, 2025, at ISRO’s Propulsion Complex in Mahendragiri, the CE20
engine was demonstrated in boot-strap start mode under simulated high-altitude,
vacuum conditions.

This is the first time ISRO has started a gas-generator cycle cryogenic engine
without using any extra stored-gas system, a milestone that may be the first of
its kind in the world.