The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Sunday achieved a key breakthrough in the Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission, successfully carrying out an Integrated Air Drop Test of the crew module.
The exercise simulated atmospheric re-entry, parachute deployment, and safe recovery, marking a decisive step towards India’s first human space mission.
A Chinook helicopter of the Indian Air Force lifted a dummy crew module to a height of three kilometres, about 40 kilometres off the coast of Sriharikota.
Once released, the module deployed three main parachutes that slowed its descent before splashdown in the Bay of Bengal.
ISRO chairperson Dr V Narayanan confirmed the trial’s success.
“All parachutes worked as expected, reducing the velocity to safe limits for human survival. The Navy recovered the module and handed it over to us in Chennai,” he said.
The same module will be reused for further trials.
Coordination Among Agencies
The mission underscored close collaboration between national agencies.
ISRO led the operation, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) designed the parachute system, the Air Force provided the Chinook helicopter, and the Navy managed recovery.
The Navy will also conduct final recovery operations when the crewed flights begin.
Officials highlighted that the trial validated not only the functioning of drogue, pilot and main parachutes, but also the coordinated workflow across agencies.
ISRO plans to launch the first uncrewed Gaganyaan mission by end-2025, with the first crewed flight targeted for late 2027.
The government has approved eight flights under the programme, including two crewed and six uncrewed missions. One of the uncrewed flights will also carry the first module of the planned Bharatiya Antariksha Station.
The operational crew module will employ a 10-parachute system. This includes Apex Cover Separation Parachutes to open the compartment, drogue parachutes to stabilise velocity, and pilot chutes to extract the three main parachutes.
Importantly, two of the three main parachutes will be sufficient to ensure astronaut safety during splashdown.
Sunday’s trial marks ISRO’s first end-to-end demonstration of the parachute-based deceleration system. Having overcome earlier delays due to helicopter constraints, the success places India a step closer to sending its astronauts into space aboard an indigenous spacecraft.
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