ISRO to launch first unmanned test flight for Gaganyaan on October 21

Tribune News Service

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, October 10

National space agency ISRO will launch the unmanned first test flight on October 21 in preparation of India’s human space mission Gaganyaan in 2024.

There will be two preliminary missions before the actual human mission goes up to space late next year.

“The launch of Gaganyaan Test Vehicle Space flight, that is, “Gaganyaan” Test Vehicle Development flight (TV-D1) is scheduled on 21st of this month,” Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science and Technology; and MoS PMO and Space, Jitendra Singh said at a gathering to felicitate ISRO scientists associated with the Chandrayaan Mission here today.

ISRO will also test the efficacy of the crew escape system which is the crucial part of “Gaganyaan” mission.

The tests will be conducted at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

Crew module will carry the astronauts during the human spaceflight mission Gaganyaan to outer space in 2024.

The test involves launching a crew module to outer space and bringing it back to earth safely and recovering it after touchdown in the Bay of Bengal.

Indian Navy personnel have already started mock operations to recover the module, Singh said.

The success of the test will set the stage for the first unmanned “Gaganyaan” mission and ultimately manned mission to outer space in low Earth orbit, informed the Minister. Before the ultimate manned “Gaganyaan” mission, there will be a test flight next year—a second precursor mission—which will carry “Vyommitra”, a female robot astronaut, the minister said.

Gaganyaan project envisages demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching a human crew to an orbit of 400 km and bringing them back safely to earth, by landing in Indian sea waters.

The prerequisites for Gaganyaan mission include development of many critical technologies including human rated launch vehicle for carrying crew safely to space, Life Support System to provide an earth like environment to crew in space, crew emergency escape provision and evolving crew management aspects for training, recovery and rehabilitation of crew.

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