ISRO bankrolls heavy‑lift push

The Department‑related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology tabled its 410th Report on Demands for Grants (2026‑27) for the Department of Space on March 25, 2026, and the document explicitly calls for the “induction of procured Semi‑cryogenic engine towards expediting the enhancement of LVM3 launch vehicle payload capability.” (thenewshour.org) (wionews.com) ISRO’s publicly disclosed SE‑2000 development logged a hot test of the Engine Power Head Test Article on March 28, 2025, with the design targeting roughly 2,000 kN thrust, a chamber pressure near 180 bar and an advertised specific impulse of about 335 seconds. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) Testing for the semi‑cryogenic programme is concentrated at the Semi‑cryogenic Integrated Engine Test (SIET) facility in Mahendragiri, which ISRO says can handle engines up to about 2,600 kN and was inaugurated on February 27, 2024. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) (spacedaily.com) Public schedule targets differ: ISRO materials and briefings have cited a first‑flight target for an LVM3 with a semi‑cryogenic stage in Q1 2027, while the Parliamentary Standing Committee’s mission timelines in its report place development of an LVM3 with a semi‑cryogenic booster in the 2028–29 window. (drishtiias.com) (news9live.com) ISRO documents and analysts quantify the performance change: replacing the L110 core with an SC120 stage powered by SE‑2000 plus an uprated cryogenic upper stage is projected to lift GTO payload from roughly 4 tonnes to about 5 tonnes, while independent modelling of integrating Russia’s RD‑191 family into LVM3 projects GTO payloads in the ~6.5–7 tonne range. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) (indiandefensenews.in) The Standing Committee also flagged chronic under‑utilisation of Department of Space appropriations — the report notes DOS incurred about Rs 9,739 crore of expenditure against earlier allocations as of January 31, 2026 (a utilisation rate near 78.23%) and links slow procurement cycles to schedule slips, a framing that accompanies the committee’s explicit budgetary reference to procuring semi‑cryogenic engines. (news9live.com) (wionews.com)