The countdown for the first Flight Test Vehicle Abort Mission-1 (TV-D1) on Saturday to demonstrate the crew escape system of the Indian rocket that would carry its astronauts to the space will begin at 8 a.m. on Friday, a senior Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) official said.
India plans to orbit its astronauts in space in its own rocket for the first time sometime in 2025 and testing the crew escape system is part of that and the flight of TV-D1 will happen at 8 a.m. on Saturday, the official told IANS.
This will be the first of the four test flights, said ISRO Chairman S.Somanath.
According to ISRO, the Saturday flight is for flight demonstration and evaluation of test vehicle sub systems; flight demonstration and evaluation of Crew Escape System including various separation systems and crew module characteristics and deceleration systems demonstration at higher altitude and its recovery.
Measuring about 35 tall and weighing about 44 tonne, the test vehicle/rocket uses a modified Vikas engine which is powered by liquid fuel.
The crew module and crew escape system are mounted at the fore end of the rocket.
The entire flight sequence -- from the test rocket’s lift off to the crew module touchdown at the sea with the deployment of parachutes -- will take about 531 seconds or about nine minutes.
According to ISRO, the mass of the crew module is 4,520 kg and is a single walled unpressurised aluminium structure.
At about 60 seconds into the flight and at an altitude of 17 km, the test vehicle and the crew escape system will get separated.
And 91 seconds after the lift off, the crew module and crew escape system will get separated.
Subsequently, the abort sequence will be executed autonomously commencing with the separation of crew escape system and deployment of the series of parachutes, finally culminating in the safe touchdown of the crew module in the sea, about 10 km from the coast of Sriharikota, ISRO said.
The crew module will house the astronauts in a pressurised earthlike atmospheric condition during the real human space mission.
Currently the crew module for the Gaganyaan mission is in different stages of development.
The TV-D1 is an unpressurised version but has an overall size and mass of actual Gaganyaan crew module and would house all the systems for the deceleration and recovery.
The avionics systems in the crew module are in a dual redundant mode configuration for navigation, sequencing, telemetry, instrumentation and power.
According to ISRO, the crew module in this mission is extensively instrumented to capture the flight data for evaluation of the performance of various systems.
The deceleration of the crew module will be done with parachutes with pyro systems.
The parachute deployment initiation will be done when the crew module is at about 17 km altitude.
The crew module will splash down on the sea at about 10 km from the launch pad at Sriharikota at about 531 seconds after the rocket’s lift off and would float till it was recovered by the Indian Navy.
Recovery ships will approach the crew module and a team of divers will attach a buoy, hoist it using a ship crane and bring it to the shore.
The crew escape system will hit the sea at about 14 km from Sriharikota. This Test Vehicle mission with this crew module is a significant milestone for the overall Gaganyaan programme as a near-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, leading to the first Gaganyaan mission with Indian Astronauts, ISRO said.
More relief, medical supplies: India continues humanitarian aid to Myanmar
In a heartwarming gesture, Myo Aung, the Chief Minister of Mandalay, visited the facility, witnessing first hand the compassionate care being extended. The Indian Army shared this on X on Tuesday with a few photos.
India, Thailand bilateral trade ties set to strengthen during PM Modi's visit
The recent years saw increased investment from Thailand in India in infrastructure, real estate, agro processing, electronics, automotive, food processing sectors, the hotel hospitality sector and the renewable energy sector.
Uproar in Lok Sabha as SP leads Oppn protest over Waqf Bill
The four-day last leg of Parliament Budget Session 2025 kicked off on an acrimonious note on Tuesday with Opposition MPs forcing an adjournment in the Lok Sabha amid protests led by Samajwadi Party members over the Waqf (Amendment) Bill.
PM Modi and Chilean President hold bilateral talks at Hyderabad House
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday met Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font at the Hyderabad House, where the two leaders discussed ways to enhance bilateral engagement across economic, commerce and societal domains.
EAM Jaishankar, Chilean Prez Boric discuss long-standing bilateral ties
External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Tuesday held talks with Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font and discussed ways to strenghthen long-standing bilateral ties.
Bengal illegal factory blast: Death toll rises to 8, owners absconding
The police have started a massive search operation at Patharpratima and its adjacent areas to track the two owners of the illegal firecracker factory, Chandrakanta Banik and Tushar Banik, who have gone absconding since the blast took place at around 10 p.m. on Monday.
Commercial LPG cylinder prices cut by Rs 41 in relief for businesses
In a big relief for industries and businesses that rely heavily on cooking fuel, oil marketing companies on Tuesday announced a price cut of Rs 41 on commercial LPG gas cylinders (19 kilograms).
Yunus statement on northeastern states offensive, condemnable: Assam CM Sarma
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said the statement of Bangladesh interim government’s chief advisor Muhammad Yunus regarding the seven states of northeast is offensive and condemnable.