There is a quiet but very important thing happening in India's space programme right now. ISRO, the organisation that gave us Chandrayaan, Mangalyaan, and so many proud moments, is planning to buy rocket engines from outside India. Possibly from Russia.
And this one decision tells us a lot about where India stands in the race to become a true space superpower.
What is a semi-cryogenic engine?
Think of a rocket engine like a very powerful stove. The stronger the flame, the heavier the load it can lift. Normal rocket engines use fuels that are stored at room temperature. Cryogenic engines use extremely cold fuels like liquid hydrogen, stored below -250°C. They are very powerful but complicated. A semi-cryogenic engine is the middle path.
It uses kerosene, yes, the same type used in lamps and stoves, but pairs it with liquid oxygen that is kept very cold (below -150°C).
This combination gives massive power while being cheaper and easier to handle than full cryogenic systems. It is a smarter, more efficient engine for lifting very heavy loads into space.
Why does ISRO need semi-cryogenic engines?
India's most powerful rocket right now is the LVM3, the one that launched 36 OneWeb satellites in a single go. But LVM3 has a limit. It can carry around 4,000 kg to higher orbits.
“As India plans bigger satellites, moon missions, space station ambitions, and even human spaceflight, this is simply not enough. ISRO needs a more powerful rocket. And to make LVM3 more powerful quickly, the easiest solution is to replace its second-stage engine with something much stronger,” explained space analyst Girish Linganna.
Currently, LVM3's second stage uses two Vikas engines. The Vikas engine has been with ISRO since 1993. “Though the Vikas engine is reliable and trusted, it produces only about 60 to 80 tonnes of thrust. The Russian RD-191 engine produces 200 to 220 tonnes of thrust, nearly two-and-a-half times more powerful. Fitting this into LVM3 would dramatically change what India can launch from its own soil, without paying foreign companies to do it,” added Linganna.
India's Parliamentary Standing Committee has already set aside budget funds for 2026–27 specifically to bring in these semi-cryogenic engines. This is the first official government document to openly talk about buying such engines, a very significant moment.
Why can’t India just make its own cryogenic engines?
This is the most honest and important question. India is working on its own semi-cryogenic engine called the SE-2000. Work has been going on for years. But the truth is, it is not ready. Not yet. Possibly not for several more years.
“Building a semi-cryogenic engine is not like assembling a machine. It requires mastering a very specific area of engineering combustion dynamics at extreme pressures, managing fuels at low temperatures, designing turbopumps that spin faster than a jet engine, and testing everything hundreds of times before it can be trusted with a real rocket. Russia has been doing this since the 1960s.
They have decades of experience, failures, fixes, and refinements baked into every engine they build. India started seriously working on this technology much later. There is no shortcut in rocket science. You cannot rush experience. Each test, each failure, each small success teaches something. And India is still in that learning phase with the SE-2000,” remarked Linganna.
Why buying it from Russia matters
India cannot wait ten more years to upgrade its rockets. The commercial space market is moving fast. Other countries are launching heavier satellites. International competition is increasing. If ISRO waits for its own engine to be ready, it will lose years of business, missions, and momentum.
Buying the RD-191 now and, more importantly, manufacturing it in India under licence with Russian support and local industry involvement is a smart bridge strategy. Use the Russian engine to power India's rockets today. Learn the technology from the inside. Build local expertise. And one day, replace it entirely with the homegrown SE-2000.
Russia has been a trusted partner for India in defence, nuclear energy, and space for decades. This is not a new relationship built on desperation. It is a partnership built on history and mutual benefit.
India wants to launch heavier satellites from Indian soil, stop paying foreign companies for launches that India should be doing itself, and eventually build heavy-lift rockets that can go to the moon, Mars, and beyond. None of that is possible with yesterday's engines.
