The Indian Space Research Organization will conduct the first of several test flights ahead of the Gaganyaan mission on October 21, Union Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said on Tuesday.
The test involves launching the module into space, bringing it back to earth and recovering it after landing in the Bay of Bengal, according to a report published by news agency PTI.
The test vehicle development flight (TV-D1) will be conducted at the Satish Dhawan Space Center at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh to test the crew module that will house Indian astronauts during human spaceflights by the end of next year.
Addressing the felicitation ceremony of the ISRO engineers involved in the Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya L1 missions, Singh said the Navy has already started mock operations to recover the module.
.over, TV-D1 will also test the ‘crew escape’ system, which is expected to return the crew to Earth if the spacecraft encounters a problem during its ascent to space, PTI reported.
He added that the success of the test will pave the way for the first unmanned ‘Gaganyaan’ mission and eventually a manned mission to space in low Earth orbit.
“Before the ultimate manned ‘Gaganyaan’ mission, there will be a test flight of ‘Vyommitra’, a female robotic astronaut, next year,” Singh added.
The Gaganyaan mission aims to develop a human-habitable space capsule that will carry a three-person crew into a 400 km (250 mi) orbit for three days before returning to safety during a planned landing in the Indian Ocean.
The Ahmedabad facility will be responsible for building two critical systems for the Gaganyaan mission: the cabin systems and communications systems.
The cabin will house three seats for astronauts, along with a lighting system and two displays to monitor various parameters in the cabin. One of the key features of the Gaganyaan cabin is its camera sensors, which will monitor oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, ensuring the safety and well-being of the astronauts during their mission.
The mission is expected to have internet facilities, cabin cameras and two TV monitors to keep astronauts connected and informed.
(With PTI inputs)
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Updated: Oct 11, 2023 08:41 IST