ISRO set to hold abort test for Gaganyaan mission

New Delhi, October 7

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which is planning to commence uncrewed flight tests for the human space mission (Gaganyaan), has started preparing for the Flight Test Vehicle Abort Mission-1 (TV-D1). The abort mission demonstrates the performance of the Crew Escape System, the agency posted on X.

Astronauts train for manned mission

• Four astronauts are undergoing Gaganyaan mission-specific training at the Astronaut Training Facility in Bengaluru
• The objective of the mission is to demonstrate the capability to launch human beings to low earth orbit and bring them back safely to earth

The agency hasn’t announced the test schedule, but it is expected to take place by the end of this month. The crew module is where the astronauts will stay in a pressurised earth-like atmospheric condition during the Gaganyaan mission. The crew module for TV-D1 is an unpressurised version of the actual crew module. It will have all the apparatus for the deceleration and recovery.

“The avionics systems in crew module are in a dual redundant mode configuration for navigation, sequencing, telemetry, instrumentation and power. The crew module in this mission is extensively instrumented to capture the flight data for evaluation of the performance of various systems. It will be recovered after touchdown in the Bay of Bengal, using a dedicated vessel and diving team from the Navy,” ISRO said, adding that the TV-D1 was in the final stages of preparation.

The test vehicle is a single-stage liquid rocket developed for this abort mission. The payloads comprise crew module and Crew Escape Systems (CES) with their fast-acting solid motors, along with crew module fairing (CMF) and interface adapters.

“This flight will simulate the abort condition during the ascent trajectory corresponding to a Mach number of 1.2 encountered in the Gaganyaan mission. The CES with crew module will be separated from the test vehicle at an altitude of about 17 km. Subsequently, the abort sequence will be executed autonomously commencing with the separation of the CES and deployment of the series of parachutes, culminating in the safe touchdown of crew module in the sea,” it added.