Bhubaneswar: Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) has supplied Special Grade MDN-250 (Maraging Steel) for various space missions of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) including Chandrayaan, Gaganayaan and Aditya L1.
It is worth mentioning here that, the Plate Mill of RSP rolls wide plates of Maraging steel for Mishra Dhatu Nigam (MIDHANI), Hyderabad. These steels are used in PSLV and GSLV programmes of ISRO.
The Mill has rolled and supplied 1130 tonnes of Maraging Steel in the last decade to MIDHANI for space applications.
Notably, Maraging steel is a special quality steel containing Nickel, Cobalt, Molybdenum, Titanium and aluminium and is manufactured through a vacuum melting process.
Rolling of Maraging steel requires very stringent process parameters. Generally, any steel with higher strength will have low ductility and vice versa.
But the significance of Maraging steel is that it has got very high strength (to the tune of 5-6 times of mild steel) along with good ductility. Maraging steel is being used for the launch Vehicle Rocket Motor Casing and for other different defence applications.
This exceptional steel variant, renowned for its unparalleled strength and ductility, is playing a pivotal role in enhancing the performance and reliability of crucial components for space exploration.
