Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre gets new trisonic wind tunnel

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Last Updated11/12/2022

The new trisonic wind tunnel at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) was inaugurated by conducting the first blow-down test successfully.

The massive structure, which can perform tests in three speed regimes, equips the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) with a robust in-house support system for space missions.
For the country as a whole, it is a big step towards self-reliance in the aerospace sector, the VSSC.
Wind tunnels are devices used to study the effects of air flows on solid objects — in this case, scale models of ISRO rockets and spacecraft.
The trisonic wind tunnel at VSSC is about 160 metres long and measures 5.4 metres at its widest part.
In a ‘blow down test’, stored gases are released and blown through the tunnel’s test section, simulating flight conditions.
The tunnel can simulate flight conditions from 0.2 times the speed of sound to four times the speed of sound.