Context: The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT-K) has successfully built and tested India's first hypervelocity expansion tunnel test facility. This achievement has put putt the country among handful of nations with this advanced hypersonic testing capability.

• It was indigenously designed and developed over three years with funding and support from the Aeronautical Research and Development Board (ARDB), the Department of Science and Technology (DST), and IIT Kanpur.

Key points

• 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.

• It is India’s first Hypervelocity Expansion Tunnel Test Facility.

• The facility is capable of generating flight speeds ranging from 3 to 10 km/s, simulating hypersonic conditions.

• Hypersonic conditions is crucial for various applications such as atmospheric entry of vehicles, asteroid entry, scramjet flights, and ballistic missiles.

• The facility called S2 nicknamed "Jigarthanda" is located at IIT Kanpur's hypersonic experimental aerodynamics laboratory (HEAL) within the department of aerospace engineering.

• With the establishment of S2, IIT Kanpur aims to inspire a new generation of aerospace enthusiasts and foster innovation in the field.

• This achievement not only enhances India's scientific capabilities but also strengthens its space and defence sectors by providing sophisticated hypervelocity testing capabilities domestically.

• It will serve as a testing ground for ongoing missions of ISRO and DRDO like Gaganyaan, Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLV), and hypersonic cruise missiles, enabling the development of more advanced and reliable aerospace technologies.