• UGI USER
  • Jan 08, 2024
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ISRO’S FUEL CELL TEST: ADVANCING SPACE POWER SYSTEMS

Why in the News?

  • ISRO successfully tested a fuel cell on the PSLV’s fourth stage, generating 180W during a brief trial.
  • The cell utilizes hydrogen and oxygen, producing electricity while releasing heat and water as byproducts.

Hydrogen-Oxygen Fuel Cell

Source: Research Gate

Applications:

  • The byproducts (heat and water) make these fuel cells ideal for human space missions, meeting multiple mission requirements in a single system.
  • Beyond space missions, these zero-emission cells could replace vehicle engines on Earth.
About Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)

·  PSLV is India’s third-generation launch vehicle with liquid stages.

·  The four-stage configuration consists of a large solid rocket as the first stage.

·  The second stage is an earth-storable liquid stage.

·  The third stage is a high-performance solid rocket motor.

·  The fourth stage is a liquid stage with engines.

·  Notable successes include launching Chandrayaan-1 (2008) and Mars Orbiter Spacecraft (2013).