The Department of Space Engineering and Rocketry at Birla Institute of Technology Mesra is one of India's oldest and most specialized aerospace departments, established in 1964. Over the years, it has developed a unique combination of experimental, computational, and propulsion research facilities that support both academic research and sponsored projects with organizations such as Indian Space Research Organisation and Defence Research and Development Organisation.
Major Research Facilities
1. Aerodynamics Laboratory
- Subsonic Wind Tunnel
- Flow visualization
- Force and moment measurements
- Pressure distribution studies
- UAV and missile aerodynamic testing
- Supersonic Wind Tunnel
- Testing up to approximately Mach 3.5
- Shock wave and expansion studies
- High-speed aerodynamic investigations
- Free Jets
- Hypersonic Wind Tunnel
- Short-duration operation up to approximately Mach 6
- High-speed flow studies
- Hypersonic vehicle research
- Flow Diagnostics
- Schlieren and shadowgraph visualization
- Pressure measurement systems
- High-speed data acquisition
These facilities support research in:
- Slender body aerodynamics
- Delta wings
- Missile configurations
- Air intakes
- Cavities
- Flow instabilities
- Shock-boundary layer interaction
- High angle-of-attack aerodynamics
2. Rocket Propulsion Laboratory
Facilities include:
- Solid rocket motor design
- Hybrid rocket propulsion experiments
- Nozzle performance evaluation
- Combustion studies
- Thrust measurement systems
- Static firing instrumentation
Research areas include:
- Grain design
- Internal ballistics
- Nozzle erosion
- Performance prediction
- Hybrid combustion
3. Propellant Technology Laboratory
The laboratory supports work on
- Composite solid propellants
- Hybrid rocket fuels
- Propellant mixing
- Casting
- Curing
- Mechanical property evaluation
- Safety studies
Recent activities have also focused on green propellants and advanced propellant formulations.
4. Liquid Propulsion Laboratory
Facilities support studies related to
- Injector design
- Atomization
- Liquid propulsion systems
- Feed systems
- Combustion performance
This laboratory is used for postgraduate teaching and research in liquid rocket propulsion.
5. Combustion Laboratory
Used for
- Flame studies
- Combustion instability
- Ignition characteristics
- Heat transfer
- Chemical kinetics
Research includes both propulsion combustion and general combustion science.
6. CFD and High Performance Computing
The department actively performs numerical simulations involving
- Compressible flows
- Turbulence modelling
- Missile aerodynamics
- Jet flows
- Rocket exhaust plumes
- Combustion
- Fluid–structure interaction
Commercial and in-house CFD tools are used along with institute HPC resources.
7. Anechoic Chamber
The department houses an anechoic chamber, which supports:
- Acoustic measurements
- Aeroacoustics
- Noise characterization of aerospace systems
Static Rocket Testing Facilities
Historically, BIT Mesra became the first technical institution in India to establish a static rocket test firing facility, a landmark achievement that continues to distinguish the department. The facility has been used extensively for educational activities, propulsion research, and sponsored projects.
Experimental Infrastructure
The department possesses facilities for
- Load and thrust measurements
- Pressure transducers
- Temperature measurements
- High-speed data acquisition
- Instrumentation for aerodynamic and propulsion experiments
These enable integrated experimental investigations in both aerodynamics and propulsion.
Areas of Research Supported
The available infrastructure supports research in
- Low-speed aerodynamics
- Supersonic aerodynamics
- Hypersonic aerodynamics
- High-angle-of-attack aerodynamics
- Vortex-dominated flows
- Missile aerodynamics
- UAV aerodynamics
- Rocket propulsion
- Hybrid rockets
- Solid propellants
- Green propellants
- Liquid propulsion
- Combustion instability
- CFD
- Flow diagnostics
- Experimental fluid mechanics