The major objective of the Gaganyaan mission is to successfully send a crew of three people into space, where they will remain in a Low Earth Orbit at an altitude of 400 km for a duration of three days before returning safely to Earth in the year 2025. An LVM3 rocket will be used to deliver the crew members of the Gaganyaan mission to the target orbit.
Following what appeared to be a rocky beginning, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) was able to successfully complete the first test vehicle development flight (TV-D1) in preparation for India’s first human space journey, Gaganyaan.
After a brief test flight sequence, the Crew Escape System (CES) and crew module were successfully launched at an altitude of 17 kilometres, followed by a safe landing in the sea approximately 10 kilometres from Sriharikota in the Bay of Bengal.
“Mission Gaganyaan: Test Flight of the TV-D1 has been Successfully Completed. The Crew Escape System worked as it was supposed to. Isro said in a statement that Mission Gaganyaan has begun on a positive note due to its success.
After being delayed twice from its original launch schedule of 8 a.m., the lift-off was eventually placed on hold just five seconds before the lift-off due to a technical anomaly, which was resolved right before the take-off.
The launch time was initially scheduled for 8 am, but because of poor weather circumstances, it was moved first to 8.30 am and then to 8.45 am. The lift-off got off to a rocky start because of this. The systems were quickly fixed, though, and the launch was moved to its original time of ten in the morning.
After the test vehicle was successfully launched, the Gaganyaan TV-D1’s three primary parachutes were released a few minutes later.
“It gives me great pleasure to report that the TV-D1 Mission has been completed with resounding success. Isro Chief S. Somanath stated shortly after the splashdown that the mission’s objective was to “demonstrate the crew escape system for the Gaganyaan programme.”
The Indian Air Force (AIF) and the Indian Navy are both collaborating with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on the ambitious Gaganyaan programme.
“The Indian Air Force is excited to participate in the Gaganyaan Mission. Following the successful completion of the test flight, the Indian Air Force issued a statement stating, “We know our boys are in safe hands.”
The successful launch of the Gaganyaan’s TV-D1 test flight was praised by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who stated that it has scripted India’s next epic space voyage.
Congratulations to the #ISRO team for successfully completing the first Test Vehicle Flight TV-D1! This marks the beginning of the final phase of preparations for India’s Crewed Human Spacecraft project, which goes by the hashtag #Gaganyaan. “In the enabling milieu provided by PM Sh. @narendramodi, @ISRO is achieving one success after the other…and the next important one is the #Gaganyaan,” Dr. Jitendra Singh, the Union minister of state for science and technology, wrote on Twitter to congratulate the Isro team on their achievement.
The objective of the test flight is to display and evaluate the various subsystems of the test vehicle, crew escape systems, including a variety of separation systems, to conduct crew module characteristics, and to demonstrate deceleration systems at greater altitudes and their recoveries.
The crew module would eventually be salvaged from the Bay of Bengal by the Navy.
“A team from the Indian Navy will lead the retrieval of the TV-D1 crew module after it has landed roughly 10 kilometres off the coast of Sriharikota. According to the test flight brochure, “Recovery ships will be positioned at a safe range in sea waters and will approach the crew module. A team of divers will then attach a buoy to the crew module, hoist the crew module using a ship crane, and bring it to the shore.”
The Gaganyaan mission will be India’s first attempt at sending humans into space. The goal of the mission is to demonstrate that humans are capable of spaceflight by sending a crew of three to an orbit of 400 km for a three-day mission and then successfully returning them to Earth.
In the time leading up to the actual manned flight, the space agency will engage in a number of rounds of testing to guarantee that the systems are reliable enough to transport astronauts and return them back to Earth in one piece.
The liquid-propelled single-stage test vehicle, also known as the TV-D1, is equipped with a modified VIKAS engine, which is installed at the vehicle’s foreend with a crew module and crew escape mechanism.
According to officials from the department of space, following the test flight demonstration with the TV-D1, the space agency will also be conducting a test flight with a robot named “Vyomitra,” a humanoid astronaut, as well as an unmanned flight prior to the manned mission, which is likely slated for the year 2025.
Mission Gaganyaan
TV D1 Test Flight is accomplished.
Crew Escape System performed as intended.
Mission Gaganyaan gets off on a successful note. @DRDO_India@indiannavy#Gaganyaan
— ISRO (@isro) October 21, 2023
The development of a number of crucial technologies, such as a human-rated launch vehicle for transporting the crew to space in a secure manner, a life support system to replicate an environment on earth for the crew while they are in space, an emergency escape provision for the crew, and evolving crew management aspects for training, recovery, and rehabilitation of crew members, are all necessary for the Gaganyaan mission to be successful.
The crew escape system is comprised of a variety of quick-acting solid motors during test flights. These motors include a crew escape system jettisoning motor (CJM), a high-altitude escape motor (HEM), a low-altitude escape motor (LEM), a low-altitude pitch motor (LPM), and a high-altitude pitch motor (HPM). These motors are able to generate the required acceleration for a variety of different mission requirements.
