Gaganyaan mission: ISRO to carry out first test flight on Oct 21
Gaganyaan mission: The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will conduct the first of several test flights ahead of the Gaganyaan mission on October 21, according to Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh.
The test vehicle development flight (TV-D1) will take place at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, to test the crew module, which will house Indian astronauts during human spaceflight later next year.
The test is to launch the module into space, return it to Earth, and collect it once it lands in the Bay of Bengal. Singh stated at a felicitation programme for ISRO engineers involved in the Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya L-1 missions that the Navy had already begun mock operations to recover the module.
Along with the crew module, the TV-D1 will test the "crew escape" system, which is designed to return the crew to Earth if the spacecraft has a problem as it ascends into space.
The success of the test will pave the way for the first unmanned "Gaganyaan" mission and, eventually, a manned mission to low-Earth orbit, according to the minister.
He stated that a test flight next year will be for "Vyommitra," a female robot astronaut, before the ultimate manned "Gaganyaan" mission.
- With inputs from agencies
