NEW DELHI: In another big step towards India’s first human spaceflight mission, Isro has successfully conducted a key test on the main parachutes for the crew module of the Gaganyaan programme. The test was carried out at Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE) drop zone in MP’s Sheopur district on Tuesday.“The objective of this test was to qualify the main parachute for its structural integrity and design margins under the maximum expected load conditions in the first uncrewed Gaganyaan G1 mission,” Isro said in a statement on Wednesday.During the test, a simulated assembly of a single main parachute and a dummy mass was dropped from an altitude of 2.5 km using an IAF’s IL-76 aircraft. Upon release, a drogue parachute was deployed. These types of parachutes are known to stabilise the crew module and reduce its velocity significantly. Subsequently, the main parachute was deployed, slowing the payload to a safe terminal speed.“This is the 5th test in a series of integrated main parachute airdrop tests (IMAT) to qualify the critical main parachute for the Gaganyaan mission. The successful completion of IMAT-05 provides necessary confidence in the performance and reliability of the main parachute system for the first uncrewed Gaganyaan mission (G1),” Isro said.The deceleration system of Gaganyaan crew module comprises a total of 10 parachutes of four types: Descent sequence begins with two apex cover separation parachutes that remove the protective cover of the parachute compartment, followed by two drogue parachutes that stabilise and decelerate the module; upon release of the drogues, three pilot parachutes are deployed to extract three main parachutes, which further slows down the crew module to ensure a safe splashdown in the sea.
