Unmanned Gaganyaan test missions scheduled for June and December; manned flights to follow

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: ISRO may conduct an unmanned Gaganyaan mission in June as the first test before manned space travel. The second one will be in December. These missions will also include a Vyomamitra robot to assist the astronauts. The goal is to ensure readiness for the mission with passengers. ISRO will directly receive information from these missions, including how zero-gravity conditions in space will affect humans.

The Gaganyaan mission will involve a spacecraft carrying passengers into orbit at a distance of 400 km for three days and then returning it to Earth. The launch will take place from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota. After three days, the probe will be dropped into the sea and recovered. The 8,000 kg spacecraft will be safely brought back from orbit and dropped into the sea with the help of a parachute. The spacecraft consists of a crew module and a service module designed for passenger safety costing 13,000 crores.

Spacesuits for astronauts, the Gaganyaan spacecraft, technology to survive high temperatures upon return to Earth, a parachute for safe spacecraft landing, a life support system inside the Gaganyaan spacecraft and the ability to safely evacuate passengers in the event of a launch accident were developed by ISRO.

GSLV Mark 3 modified

1. ISRO's powerful GSLV Mark 3 rocket has been modified to be capable of carrying humans.

2. It is now called Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (LVM3). The test was successfully completed.

Experiment to overcome crisis

The experiment was successfully conducted to address unexpected crises during the mission and ensure passenger safety. The first test, Test Vehicle Abort Mission 1 (TVD1), which included the crew escape system, took place on October 21. The test involved dropping a crew module prototype from a rocket into the Bay of Bengal and then recovering it. The TVD2 test will soon be carried out to ensure that the probe floats in the correct direction, proving the effectiveness of parachute systems.