Sriharikota: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) today successfully launched the Mission Gaganyaan Test Vehicle Development (TV-D1) flight bringing the nation one step closer to realising India’s first human space flight programme. The test flight success of Abort Mission-1 heralds successive sequential trial flights before the final Gaganyaan launch.
The entire exercise was accomplished as expected, with a single-engine rocket carrying an early depressurised version of the Gaganyaan Crew Module (CM) to an altitude of around 17 kilometres followed by final descent using a parachute for its splashdown.
Crew Module (CM) is the habitable space with an Earth-like environment in space for the crew, while Service Module (SM) will be used to provide necessary support to CM while in orbit.
Today’s exercise tested the performance of the Crew Escape System on the Crew Module of the Gaganyaan mission. Basically, it tested the safety mechanism that will allow the crew of the Gaganyaan mission to escape the spacecraft in case the mission is aborted due to a malfunction.
Coming less than two months after the successful Moon landing by Chandrayaan-3, Union Minister of State for Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh said that today’s event has paved the way for a series of tests of systems and procedures with the aim to ultimately launch an Indian astronaut on Space, possibly around the year 2025. He said this test flight would set the stage for the remaining qualification tests and unmanned missions, leading to the first Gaganyaan mission with Indian astronauts.
Dr. Singh emphasised that human safety is of paramount importance in the Gaganyaan mission. He further informed that ever since the present government “unlocked” the Space sector from the self-imposed regulations and shackles of the past, “the mood is upbeat at ISRO and the industry, as well as private participants, are vying with each other to collaborate in Space projects”. He added: “This has not only given a boost but also contributed huge value addition both in terms of knowledge as well as finances and evidence of this is that within a short span of over three years, the number of successful StartUps has gone up from less than 5 to over 150.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi too lauded the successful launch.
– global bihari bureau
