Gaganyaan mission: ISRO reschedules test vehicle launch. Check new times

ISRO’s Test Vehicle D1 mission was scheduled to take off from the first launch pad earlier at 8 am. The unmanned flight test will now be launched from Sriharikota at 8.30 am on Saturday.

While the reason for the change in timing was not immediately known, according to news agency PTI, it could be due to rainfall and cloudy weather conditions.

View all LIVE updates here

Soon after the announcement was made about the change in timing, the countdown timer displayed on the monitors at the Satish Dhawan Space Center was also removed.

The 13-hour countdown started Friday at 7 p.m.

The TV-D1 test vehicle is the precursor to the Gaganyaan program that aims to send humans into space for three days in a low Earth orbit of 400 km and return them safely to Earth.

The test flight will demonstrate the performance of the Crew Escape system as part of the Gaganyaan mission. It will also test safe landing in the Bay of Bengal after the missile launch.

Notably, ISRO has planned about 20 major tests, including three unmanned missions of the Human Rated Launch Vehicle (HLVM3).

Named after the Sanskrit word for vessel or vehicle to the sky, the Gaganyaan project was developed at the expense of ₹90 billion. If successful, India will become only the fourth country to send a human into space after the Soviet Union, the US and China.

“Exciting news! Mint is now on WhatsApp channels 🚀 Register today by clicking on the link and stay informed of the latest financial insights!” Click here!

Updated: Oct 21, 2023 08:13 IST