ISRO tests critical new Crew Escape System for spaceflights

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 5

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) today carried out a major technology demonstration for trying out a new critical Crew Escape System (CES) for spaceflights. This is the first of the series of tests to qualify the system

According to ISRO, the CES is an emergency escape measure designed to quickly pull the crew module along with the astronauts to a safe distance from the launch vehicle in the event of a launch abort.

The first test also known as the Pad Abort Test demonstrated the safe recovery of the crew module in case of any exigency at the launch pad.

The ISRO release added that after a smooth countdown of five hours, the CES along with the simulated crew module with a mass of 12.6 tones, lifted off at 7 am at the opening of the launch window from its pad at  Satish Dhawan Space Centre, at Sriharikota.

The test was over in  259 seconds, during which the Crew Escape System along with crew  module soared skyward, then arced out over the Bay of Bengal and floated back to Earth under its parachutes about 2.9 km from  Sriharikota, the release added.

The crew module reached an altitude of nearly 2.7 km under the power of its seven specifically designed quick acting solid motors to take away the crew module to a safe distance without exceeding the safe  g-levels.

Nearly 300 sensors recorded various mission performance parameters during the test flight. Three recovery boats are being  exercised to retrieve the module as part of the recovery protocol, added the release