Gaganyaan: India’s Space Odyssey Begins with Test Flight

Web Desk

20th Oct, 2023. 06:49 pm
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India’s space agency, Isro, is conducting crucial tests for a 2025 astronaut mission.
The Gaganyaan spacecraft launch is set for 08:00 local time from Sriharikota.
The primary goal is to ensure crew safety in case of a rocket malfunction.

India’s space agency is set to conduct a series of crucial tests leading up to its 2025 mission to put astronauts in space.

The Gaganyaan spacecraft is scheduled for launch at 08:00 local time on Saturday from Sriharikota, with the primary objective of assessing crew safety in the event of a rocket malfunction.

Success in this endeavor will clear the path for future unmanned missions, including sending a robot to space next year.

The actual manned mission, carrying three astronauts into low-Earth orbit, is contingent upon the successful completion of these tests, with a probable launch in 2025, as recently announced by the government.

Named after the Sanskrit term for “craft or vehicle to the sky,” the Gaganyaan project has incurred a cost of 90 billion rupees ($1 billion) and aims to transport astronauts to a 400km (248 miles) orbit for a three-day mission.

If successful, India will join the elite ranks of countries that have sent humans into space, which currently include the Soviet Union, the US, and China.

However, before the manned mission can proceed, India’s space agency, Isro, must prove the safe return of the human-carrying capsule, a crucial step to be tested during Saturday’s flight, known as the Flight Test Vehicle Abort Mission-1 (TV-D1) by Isro.

Isro chief S Somanath has said they would be testing the spacecraft’s “crew escape system (CES)”, describing it as as “a very critical system”.

“If anything happens to the rocket, we should be able to keep the crew safe by moving them away at least by 2km (1.2 miles) from the exploding rocket,” Mr. Somanath told reporters.

“So after take-off, once the rocket is 12km to 16km in the sky, we’ll trigger the abort system and take the crew escape system away from it,” he added.

According to information available on the Isro website, a series of parachutes will be employed as the module commences its descent to ensure a safe landing in the Bay of Bengal waters, approximately 10km off the Sriharikota coast.

The Indian navy will be on standby at a safe distance, equipped with a ship and a team of divers, ready to retrieve the module and return it safely to the shore.

The space agency specifies that this “brief duration” test will have a duration of around nine minutes. The spacecraft is equipped with cameras and instruments that will collect data and images, which Isro believes will be invaluable for future tests and the ultimate Gaganyaan mission.

If Saturday’s test proceeds as planned, Isro intends to send an unmanned Gaganyaan spacecraft containing a humanoid, a robot resembling a human, next year.

Named Vyommitra, meaning “space friend” in Sanskrit, this female humanoid was unveiled by Isro in 2019.

Isro has also disclosed photographs of Indian air force pilots selected for the crew, who are currently undergoing an array of tests and evaluations, including physical exercises, laboratory assessments, radiological tests, clinical evaluations, and psychological assessments.

In recent updates on social media, specifically on X (formerly Twitter), Isro has shared images of the rocket at the launch site and a graphic illustrating the craft’s trajectory from launch to its splashdown in the sea.

Although late to the space exploration scene, India’s planned test on Saturday has generated considerable interest in the country.

This attention is due to India’s historic landing near the Moon’s south pole in August 2023, followed by the launch of Aditya-L1, its first solar observation mission.

This spacecraft will travel 1.5 million km (932,000 miles) from Earth and is expected to reach its intended position in mid-January, as reported by India’s space agency.

Furthermore, this week, India unveiled ambitious space plans, including the establishment of a space station by 2035 and a Moon mission with an astronaut by 2040.

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Gaganyaan: India’s Space Odyssey Begins with Test Flight

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