Â
On Saturday, Andhra Pradesh Governor S Abdul Nazeer extended his congratulations to the scientists of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for the successful achievement of 'TV-D1' (Test Vehicle Development Flight 1) in the Gaganyaan Mission.
Governor Nazeer expressed his pride in ISRO's accomplishment, which serves as a precursor to the Gaganyaan program. This program's ultimate goal is to send humans into space on a Low Earth Orbit of 400 kilometers and safely return them to Earth.
ISRO's mission had initially faced an engine ignition issue in its first launch attempt. However, ISRO Chief Somanath announced that the mission had achieved its objectives successfully, particularly in demonstrating the crew escape system for the Gaganyaan program. The test vehicle went up to a Mach number slightly above the speed of sound and initiated an abort condition to validate the crew escape system's functionality.
The mission objectives of the TV-D1 launch included the evaluation of Test Vehicle subsystems, Crew Escape System flight demonstration, assessment of various separation systems, crew module characteristics, and deceleration system demonstration at higher altitudes with subsequent recovery.
The Test Vehicle utilized a single-stage liquid rocket specifically developed for this abort mission. The payloads included the Crew Module (CM), Crew Escape Systems (CES) equipped with fast-acting solid motors, Crew Module Fairing (CMF), and Interface Adapters.
This mission simulated the abort condition during the ascent trajectory, corresponding to a Mach number of 1.2, similar to conditions expected in the Gaganyaan mission. The successful completion of this mission represents a significant milestone in India's journey toward demonstrating the possibility of human spaceflight.
The Gaganyaan project is designed to demonstrate India's human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of three members into a 400-kilometer orbit for a 3-day mission and safely returning them to Earth by landing in Indian waters. This achievement will establish India as the fourth nation in the world to conduct a manned spaceflight mission, following the United States, Russia, and China.
