Evolution of Solid Propellant Rockets in India

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Evolution of Solid Propellant Rockets in India, DESIDOC, 2014, pp. xx+201, ISBN: 978-81-8651-451-1

Author: Rajaram Nagappa

To order this book please contact

Ms. Anitha Sarvanan at the Monographs Division, DESIDOC

Email: monographs[at]desidoc[dot]drdo[dot]in

To read the Introduction and Chapter One click here

Historical narration of technological achievements is more an exception than the rule in India. The narration in respect of rocket development in the country generally follows this trend with a few notable exceptions covering the developments in the Indian Space Programme. The development of defence rockets has hardly been touched upon. Propulsion forms a major subsystem of the space launch vehicles and missiles, and today, India boasts of a significant capability and capacity in this discipline.

The solid propellant rocket technology in India is essentially home-grown and has found wide application and adaptation in sounding rockets, launch vehicles, and ballistic missiles. While the requirements of solid propellant rockets for the space programme have reached a maturation phase, the requirement of solid propellant rockets for missile applications are diverse in their characteristics, and performance needs continue on a demand and development trajectory.

This book highlights the development of solid propellant rockets and the main solid rocket subsystems used in the space programme and ballistic missiles with emphasis on the indigenous nature of development.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Preface	xiii
Acknowledgements	xv
List of Acronyms	xvii
Introduction	1
Chapter 1: The Beginning	5
Chapter 2: The Advent of Solid Rockets to Aid Space Research	9
Chapter 3: The Beginning of Solid Rocketry in Thumba	15
Chapter 4: Early DRDO–ISRO Collaboration	25
Chapter 5: Self-reliance in Solid Propellant Capability	31
Chapter 6: Propellant Development in HEMRL	51
Chapter 7: Rocket Motor Case	61
Chapter 8: Rocket Motors of Launch Vehicles	79
Chapter 9: IGMDP and other Motors of Missile Complex	125
Chapter 10: Composite Products	143
Chapter 11: Solid Propellant Rocket Motor Test Facilities	159
Chapter 12: Interface with Academia	173
Chapter 13: Industry Interaction	193
Index	201

About the Author

Professor Rajaram Nagappa is Head, International Strategic and Security Studies Programme, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Science from Guwahati University and a Diploma of the Madras Institute of Technology in Aeronautical Engineering. His active years were spent at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram where he was responsible for the design, development and realisation of solid propellant motor systems for rockets and satellite launch vehicles of the Indian Space Research Organisation. He retired as the Associate Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.