Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully
launched the test flight for the Gaganyaan mission after it was delayed due to a
problem in the engine ignition on Saturday.
The test vehicle with crew safety-related payloads connected
to the ambitious Gaganyaan human space flight mission lifted off successfully
from Sriharikota.
The brief test flight sequence launched the crew
escape system and crew module at an altitude of 17 km followed by a safe
touchdown in the sea, about 10 km from Sriharikota on Bharat’s eastern coast.
“I am very happy to announce the successful
accomplishment of the TV-D1 Mission. The purpose of this mission was to
demonstrate the crew escape system for the Gaganyaan programme,” said ISRO chief
S Somanath.
The crew module would later be retrieved by the Navy
from the Bay of Bengal.
Earlier, ISRO identified the errors, rectified it and
launched the test flight, which was scheduled to launch today at 7.30 in the
morning.
This flight test vehicle abort mission is conducted to
demonstrate the performance of the crew escape system as part of the Gaganyaan
mission.
The mission objectives of the TV-D1 launch are: flight
demonstration and evaluation of test vehicle subsystems; flight demonstration
and evaluation of Crew Escape System, including various separation systems;
crew module characteristics; and deceleration system demonstration at higher
altitudes and its recovery.
This mission represents a significant milestone in Bharat’s
effort to demonstrate that it is possible to send humans into space.
The test flight project aims to prove Bharat’s
capacity to send humans into a 400-kilometre orbit and safely bring them back
to earth with a splashdown in the Bay of Bengal Sea.
Around 20 major tests, including three uncrewed
missions of the Human-Rated Launch Vehicle (HLVM3), are planned to ensure the
success of the mission.
The Gaganyaan project envisages a demonstration of
human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of three members into an orbit
of 400 km for a 3-day mission and bringing them safely back to earth by landing
in Indian waters.
This programme will make Bharat the fourth nation to
launch a manned spaceflight mission after US, Russia, and China.
Building on the success of the Indian space
initiatives, including the recent Chandrayan 3 and Aditya L1 missions, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi directed that Bharat should now aim for new and
ambitious goals, including setting up Bharatiya Antariksha Station (Indian
Space Station) by 2035 and sending the first Indian to the Moon by 2040.
