THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The parachute experiment conducted by ISRO as part of preparations for the Gaganyaan project was successful. Drogue parachute deployment tests were conducted on a rail-track rocket sled at the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory, Chandigarh.

The experiment was conducted in collaboration with the Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment.

Drogue parachutes are an important part of the Gaganyaan project. It is used to adjust the speed of the spacecraft during its return to Earth so that it descends slowly without hitting the Earth at high speed. 5.8m diameter parachutes are stowed in the spacecraft in such a way that they deploy on command. Experiments were conducted by artificially creating various conditions to test the performance of drogue parachutes.

If the tests are successful, these parachutes will be used in the launch of the first Test Vehicle 1 demonstration mission, which is planned for September.

This is a test of a system where emergency procedures abort the mission halfway through the air and return the passenger spacecraft safely to sea. The speed of the spacecraft will be adjusted with the help of parachutes to land it in the sea.