India’s first hypervelocity expansion tunnel test facility has been developed by IIT Kanpur

India’s first hypervelocity expansion tunnel test facility has been developed by IIT Kanpur.
The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) successfully established India’s first hypervelocity expansion tunnel test facility.
It is a major milestone for India, only a few countries have advanced hypersonic testing capability.
This facility can simulate the hypersonic circumstances seen during atmospheric entry by producing flight speeds between 3 and 10 km/s.
This S2 facility is 24 meters long. It was indigenously designed and developed in three years. This facility is commonly called ‘Jigarthanda’.
The funding and support for this facility were provided by the Aeronautical Research and Development Board, and the Department of Science and Technology.
This will be very crucial for ongoing missions of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) including Gaganyaan, RLV (Reusable Launch Vehicle), and hypersonic cruise missiles.
With this facility, India will be in a better position to develop advanced hypersonic technologies and systems.