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Gaganyaan’s first test vehicle mission that will see the crew module being carried to a height of 17 km to test mid-flight crew escape system will take place on October 21 between 7 am and 9 am, according to Indian Space Research Organisation. Recovery of crew module after splashdown in Bay of Bengal will also be practised during this mission.
The mission will see a single-stage liquid propellant-based rocket carrying an unpressurised version of the crew module simulating the size and mass of the actual module carrying the Indian astronauts.
“A second test vehicle mission will be scheduled only after studying the data generated by the first. If everything goes as per plan, we will proceed with the second. If not, we have to address the problems before going ahead with the next one,” said an official.
This test is essential in the development of Gaganyaan mission — it will see the crew module go to a height that can’t be achieved with helicopters or flights that can go up to only about 10 km.
The first unmanned flight, where a similar unpressurised crew module will be carried to space, will take place after two successful test missions. For the final mission, the crew module will be pressurised to simulate the atmospheric conditions on Earth. Two similar test vehicle missions will be undertaken to test all systems before second unmanned flight. Astronauts will be sent under Gaganyaan only after two successful unmanned flights.
The crew module for the next test vehicle mission has been fabricated and under testing, officials said. The first test vehicle mission will simulate a scenario where the astronauts have to abort while moving up to space at 1.2 times the speed of sound.
