Bengaluru: ISRO Chief Dr. S. Somanath confirmed that the ‘TV-D1’ (Test Vehicle Development Flight 1) maiden test flight, as part of the Indian astronaut program Gaganyaan, will take place on Saturday.
Mission Gaganyaan:
The TV-D1 test flight is scheduled for
?️October 21, 2023
?between 7 am and 9 am
?from SDSC-SHAR, Sriharikota #Gaganyaan pic.twitter.com/7NbMC4YdYD— ISRO (@isro) October 16, 2023
He stated that at least three further tests of the same kind would be conducted after D1. The TV-D1 test flight from Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, is scheduled for October 21, 2023, between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.
“1st test vehicle mission ????TV-D1 will be on Oct 21st..after this, there will be D2, D3, D4 missions also” #isro chief Somanath in #TamilNadu
As I’d shared earlier, Next Satday will be the maiden #isro #gaganyaan test flight with crew module#india #space #tech #Science pic.twitter.com/qslM3Ycbxa
— Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) October 14, 2023
While developing a fighter plane, it is crucial to prove the mechanism to eject the pilots safely mid-flight. Likewise, while working towards an astronaut mission, establishing the means to eject the crew module(astronaut-carrying shell) to safety when the rocket is in mid-flight is paramount.
During the TV-D1 mission, the crew module(within which astronauts would be nestled in the future) and associated systems will be mounted atop a mini-rocket known as the Test vehicle. This miniature rocket is powered by liquid fuel and is based on the GSLV’s (formerly known as the GSLV Mk2) L40 stage booster. The crew escape system and crew module would eject from the rocket when the vehicle is at a height of 17 km as soon as the necessary circumstances (Mach 1.2 or 1.2 times the speed of sound) are met.
ISRO will also test the efficacy of the Crew Escape System, which is the crucial part of the “Gaganyaan” mission, resulting in uncrewed and human-crewed missions to outer space by 2024. Crew Module will carry the astronauts during the Gaganyaan mission to outer space.
The test involves:
- Launching a crew module to outer space.
- Returning it to Earth.
- Recovering it after touchdown in the Bay of Bengal.
Indian Navy personnel have already started mock operations to recover the module.
The success of this test will set the stage for the first uncrewed “Gaganyaan” mission and, ultimately, a crewed mission to outer space in low Earth orbit. Before the ultimate manned “Gaganyaan” mission, there will be a test flight next year carrying “Vyommitra,” the female robot astronaut.
Gaganyaan project envisages a demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching a human crew to an orbit of 400 km and bringing them back safely to Earth by landing in Indian sea waters. The prerequisites for the Gaganyaan mission include the development of many critical technologies, including a human-rated launch vehicle for carrying the crew safely to space, Life Support System to provide an earth-like environment to the team in space, crew emergency escape provision and evolving crew management aspects for training, recovery, and rehabilitation of crew.
