ISRO’s Gaganyaan Program: Historic First Test Flight and Space Theme Park Developments

In a significant development for India’s Gaganyaan program, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced that the first experimental flight under the Gaganyaan program, aimed at qualifying the Crew Escape System, is scheduled to take place on October 21, 2023, at 08:00 AM from the First Launchpad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR.

This upcoming mission, known as Test Vehicle TV D1, will be of short duration with limited visibility from the Launch View Gallery, but special arrangements are being made to allow students and the general public to witness this historic flight.

The Crew Module (CM), where astronauts will be contained in a pressurized, Earth-like atmospheric condition during the Gaganyaan mission, is at various stages of development. For the Test Vehicle Abort mission-1 (TV-D1), the CM is an unpressurized version that has completed its integration and testing and is ready for transport to the launch complex. This unpressurized CM version matches the size and mass of the actual Gaganyaan CM and houses all the systems for deceleration and recovery, complete with parachutes, recovery aids actuation systems, and pyrotechnics. The avionics systems in the CM are configured in a dual-redundant mode for navigation, sequencing, telemetry, instrumentation, and power. The extensively instrumented CM will capture flight data for the evaluation of system performance and will be recovered in the Bay of Bengal, utilizing a dedicated vessel and diving team from the Indian Navy.

The first development flight of Test Vehicle TV-D1 is in its final stages of preparation. This single-stage liquid rocket, developed specifically for the abort mission, carries payloads that include the Crew Module (CM) and Crew Escape Systems (CES) with fast-acting solid motors, along with the CM fairing (CMF) and Interface Adapters. The flight will simulate an abort condition during the ascent trajectory, corresponding to a Mach number of 1.2 experienced in the Gaganyaan mission. The CES and CM will be separated from the Test Vehicle at an altitude of approximately 17 kilometers, followed by an autonomous abort sequence, leading to the safe touchdown of the CM in the sea, around 10 kilometers from the coast of Sriharikota.

The Crew Module, after integration, underwent various electrical tests at ISRO’s facility in Bengaluru, including an acoustic test, and was dispatched to SDSC-SHAR on August 13. At SDSC, it will undergo vibration tests and pre-integration with the Crew Escape System before its final integration onto the Test Vehicle at the Launch Pad. This Test Vehicle mission, featuring the CM, represents a significant milestone for the entire Gaganyaan program, as a nearly complete system is integrated for a flight test. The success of this test flight will set the stage for the remaining qualification tests and unmanned missions, ultimately leading to the first Gaganyaan mission with Indian astronauts.

In other developments, ISRO is working on the realization of a Space Theme Park that will allow citizens of the nation to witness launches from India’s spaceport. This park will feature several attractions, including:

1. Rocket Garden: A display of various ISRO launch vehicles, from Sounding Rockets to GSLV Mk-III models, set amidst beautiful lawns with designated photo points and a central fountain.
2. Launch View Gallery: This gallery will provide thousands of visitors with an opportunity to witness and cheer for the launches taking place at the Space Port of India.
3. Space Museum: The museum will provide a comprehensive account of the Indian Space Program, spanning its history, education, technology, applications, global impact, and the future. Visitors will have the opportunity to explore the journey of India’s space endeavors.