The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) recently conducted a key test on the main parachutes for the Gaganyaan Crew Module.
The test was a part of preparations for the country’s first human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan.
The test, held on November 3 at the Babina Field Firing Range (BFFR) in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi, was designed to verify the crew module’s stability in the event of a delay in the deployment of one of its main parachutes.
The experiment used an IL-76 aircraft from the Indian Air Force, which carried a 7.2-tonne (6.5-metric-tonne) capsule mass simulator. The aircraft took off from the Babina Field Firing Range in Uttar Pradesh and released the dummy capsule from an altitude of 2.5 kilometers, triggering the deployment sequence of the Gaganyaan parachute system.
The Indian space agency said this test is part of the ongoing series of Integrated Main Parachute Airdrop Tests (IMAT) for the qualification of the parachute system for the Gaganyaan mission.
The Gaganyaan mission is India’s first human spaceflight programme, aiming to send a three-member crew on a three-day mission to space and return them safely to Earth.
For the Gaganyaan Crew Module, the parachute system comprises a total of 10 parachutes of four types. The descent sequence begins with two apex cover separation parachutes that remove the protective cover of the parachute compartment, followed by two drogue parachutes that stabilise and decelerate the module.
“Upon release of the drogues, three pilot parachutes are deployed to extract three main parachutes, which further slow down the Crew Module to ensure a safe touchdown. The system is designed with redundancy — two of the three main parachutes are sufficient to achieve a safe landing,” the space agency said.
The results were encouraging. “The parachute system deployed as planned, the sequence executed flawlessly, and the test article achieved a stable descent and soft landing, validating the robustness of the parachute design,” the agency stated.
ALSO READ: NASA-ISRO’s NISAR satellite to be declared operational on Nov 7: ISRO chief V. Narayanan
It said, “The successful completion of this test marks another significant step toward qualifying the parachute system for human spaceflight.”
