The Indian Space Research Organization, ISRO, is gearing up for a pivotal test of the crew escape system for India’s maiden human spaceflight mission, ‘Gaganyaan.’ This test will evaluate the spacecraft’s ability to ensure astronauts’ safe return in the event of any mission complications. ISRO scientist Padma Kumar ES said that this crucial examination is slated for October.
Padma Kumar also holds the position of director at ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU). He shed light on the importance of this test, explaining, ‘In the event of any anomaly during the space journey, immediate evacuation of the crew becomes imperative. To address this, ISRO has developed a crew escape system, which will swiftly transport the crew away from the rocket. We have readied a test vehicle for this purpose.’
Kumar elaborated further, stating, ‘The test vehicle will carry the specially designed crew module for astronauts. Subsequently, we will simulate an abort scenario within the atmosphere. ISRO scientists will meticulously examine the functionality of the abort trajectory.’
The timeline for the Gaganyaan mission includes an unmanned mission scheduled for early next year, signifying a mission without human presence in space. Following the success of the unmanned mission, ISRO will proceed with a manned mission, which will carry astronauts into space.
Previously, ISRO achieved a milestone by successfully testing the drogue parachute for the Gaganyaan mission in Chandigarh between August 8 and 10. This parachute plays a pivotal role in ensuring the safe landing of astronauts by reducing the crew module’s speed and stabilizing it. During testing, conditions simulating astronaut landing scenarios were meticulously recreated.
