NEW DELHI: The Tamil Nadu city of
Salem
, famous for its textiles and steel production, is gradually becoming one of the key suppliers of components for Isro’s space missions.
Students at Salem-based
Sona College of Technology
, who had developed and supplied a stepper motor for India’s launcher for the
Chandrayaan-3 mission
, have now powered
GSLV-F14 rocket
that launched the country’s latest
weather satellite Insat-3DS
with precision on Feb 17.
The institute once again displayed its sound research capabilities when its SonaSPEED (Sona special power electronics & electric drives) division supplied the key equipment for the launcher.
The equipment were a set of simplex permanent magnet stepper motors for use in the mixture control actuator during the cryogenic stage of the LVM3 launch vehicle. The mixture control actuator helps mix liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen in precise combination for a perfect lift-off. The performance of SonaSPEED team-created motors was tested in the presence of scientists from the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre before delivery.
“Sona researchers rigorously followed the process in the design and manufacture of this critical piece of equipment,” said S R R Senthil Kumar, principal, Sona College of Technology. “Our researchers are confident of extending India’s sharp engineering edge to support the government’s Make in India initiative, especially in the defence sector,” said Chocko Valliappa, vice-chairman, Sona College of Technology.
As a reliable partner for developing indigenous technology products like rocket motors for mission critical applications of ISRO, SonaSPEED has been picked up to provide precision components for the ensuing Gaganyaan mission. The college has earned half a dozen multi-million research grants from the Department of Science and Technology, DST-Science and Engineering Research Board, IBM as well as National Technical Textile Mission in the current academic year.
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