India's space exploration agency ISRO achieved a significant milestone with the successful long-duration cryogenic engine test for the Gaganyaan project on Wednesday.
The engine was tested for 720 seconds at the ISRO propulsion complex in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
"The performance of the engine met the test objectives, and the engine parameters were closely matching with the predictions during the entire duration of the test," ISRO said in a statement.
The test ensures the reliability and robustness of the cryogenic engine for induction into the human-rated launch vehicle for Gaganyaan.
"Further, this engine will undergo four more tests for a cumulative duration of 1810 seconds," the agency added.
The programme has been delayed by at least two years due to the pandemic. ISRO plans to send two uncrewed flights in 2022 to test end-to-end capacity for the country's first manned mission.
Currently, only three countries – the US, Russia, and China – have independent human spaceflight capabilities.