ISRO Preparing for Gaganyaan Mission’s Initial Test Flight
India’s space agency, ISRO, is preparing for a significant step in its Gaganyaan human spaceflight project. On October 21, 2023, ISRO will carry out the inaugural test flight to showcase the crew escape system’s capabilities. The test will occur between 7 am and 9 am at Sriharikota spaceport. The official launch date for the Gaganyaan mission will be disclosed at a later time.
The Gaganyaan project aims to prove India’s capability for human spaceflight. It will send a human crew into orbit, 400 kilometers above Earth, and bring them back safely by landing in the Indian Ocean. The upcoming Test Vehicle Development Flight (TV-D1) is a crucial step in this effort. It will test the crew module that will carry Indian astronauts during the actual human spaceflight scheduled for the end of next year, PTI reported.
TV-D1 test flight
During the TV-D1 test flight, an unmanned crew module is launched into space and then safely brought back to Earth, landing in the Bay of Bengal. After this first test flight, ISRO plans to conduct three more test missions, named D2, D3 and D4, to thoroughly study the system’s capabilities.
The test vehicle used in this mission is a single-stage liquid rocket designed for emergency abort situations. It includes the Crew Module (CM) and Crew Escape System (CES) with their fast-acting fixed engines, as well as the CM Fairing (CMF) and connection adapters.
During flight, the Crew Escape System and Crew Module separate from each other at an altitude of about 17 kilometers. After separation, the CES will perform a self-contained sequence using a series of parachutes, ultimately leading to a safe landing of the CM in the sea, about 10 kilometers off the coast of Sriharikota.
The crew module is an important part of the mission, keeping the astronauts in a pressurized, Earth-like atmosphere during the Gaganyaan mission. For the TV-D1 test, the CM is a non-pressurized version that has been integrated and tested. It is equipped with parachutes, recovery systems and avionics for navigation, telemetry and instrumentation.
After landing in the Bay of Bengal, an Indian Navy-owned ship and dive team will be responsible for recovering the crew module.
The upcoming Gaganyaan test flight will be a crucial step in this journey, demonstrating the technology and systems necessary to ensure the safety of astronauts on their journey to space and back to Earth.
