News Excerpt: 

A crucial milestone has been achieved with India’s first Hypervelocity Expansion Tunnel Test Facility successfully established and tested by the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IITK).

About the test facility: 

• The Facility, named S2, is capable of generating flight speeds between 3-10 km/s, simulating the hypersonic conditions encountered during atmospheric entry of vehicles, asteroid entry, scramjet flights, and ballistic missiles.

• The S2, nicknamed ‘Jigarthanda’, is a 24-meter-long facility located at IIT Kanpur’s Hypersonic Experimental Aerodynamics Laboratory (HEAL) within the Department of Aerospace Engineering. 

• The S2 was indigenously designed and developed over three years with funding and support from the Aeronautical Research and Development Board (ADRB), and the Department of Science & Technology (DST).
• It was indigenously designed and developed and is a valuable test facility for ongoing missions of ISRO and DRDO including Gaganyaan, RLV and hypersonic cruise missiles.
• The facility consists of the following 4 major sections: - 
• Free piston driver, 
• Compression tube, 
• Shock /acceleration tube and 
• Test section with high vacuum system for generating and sustaining the hypersonic flow. 
• The complete instrumentation of the facility was acquired through the DST- FIST program.

Significance of this facility for India:

• Hypersonic research activities are fast growing in India and the implementation of the Hypersonic Test Facility in India will enable more aerospace engineers and researchers to pursue hypersonic research. 
• The research activities and data generated in the facility will serve as input for the optimization of existing vehicles as well as futuristic defence and Space Missions.
• The establishment of such a facility will position India globally for advanced experimental hypersonic research.
• It is a major capacity boost for India's space and defence sectors and puts India in a better position to develop advanced hypersonic technologies and systems

Conclusion: 

India's inaugural Hypervelocity Expansion Tunnel Test Facility, 'Jigarthanda', signifies a notable advancement in aerospace research. With its indigenous development, it promises to bolster India's position in hypersonic technology and strengthen its defence and space sectors.