Gaganyaan's first abort test demo today. What ISRO want to check?
Gaganyaan mission aims to launch crew of three into orbit by 2025.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to perform an unmanned test flight on October 21 to demonstrate the abort capabilities for Gaganyaan programme, a key step towards the realisation of the aim of India's first human spaceflight.
ISRO will commence unmanned flight tests for the Gaganyaan mission with the maiden abort mission scheduled for October 21 at 8am from the First launchpad at SDSC-SHAR, Sriharikota, it said in a statement.
What is Gaganyaan mission?
The primary objective of the Gaganyaan mission is to launch a crew of three members into an orbit 400 kilometres above Earth's surface for a three-day mission, safely returning them to Earth by landing in the Indian Sea waters. This mission is slated to take place in 2025.
Astronauts for the mission, chosen from the Indian Air Force (IAF), are currently undergoing training at various ISRO facilities.
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What will be checked during Gaganyaan's abort test demo?
A single-stage liquid rocket is used as a Test Vehicle for this abort mission. It will test the capabilities of the Gaganyaan mission to handle emergencies during a space flight.
The rocket will carry a crew capsule and safety systems. It will reach a certain speed similar to what's needed for real space travel. “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 space agency said in a statement.
While flying at about 17 kilometres high, the safety systems will detach from the rocket. Then, they will activate a series of steps, like parachutes opening, to bring the crew capsule safely back to Earth. It will land in the sea, about 10 km from the coast of Sriharikota. This test helps ensure that astronauts can be safe in case something goes wrong during their space journey.
Around 20 major tests, including 3 uncrewed missions of the Human Rated Launch Vehicle (HLVM3) are planned under the Gaganyaan mission before the manned mission.