A high-level meeting was presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the future of India’s space exploration initiatives and to assess the Gaganyaan mission’s progress. A thorough overview of the Gaganyaan mission, including various technologies currently under development like human-rated launch vehicles and system qualification, was provided by the Department of Space.
It was noted that around 20 major tests, including 3 uncrewed missions of the Human Rated Launch Vehicle (HLVM3) are planned. The first demonstration flight of the Crew Escape System Test Vehicle is scheduled for October 21 (Saturday).
ISRO is all set for the Flight Test Vehicle Abort Mission a key part of its ambitious human space mission Gaganyaan, between 7 am and 9 am this Saturday.
This flight will represent an ascent trajectory abort condition. At a height of about 17 km, crew escape systems with basic modules will be cut loose from the test vehicle. The abort sequence will then be carried out automatically, starting with the separation of the crew escape systems and the deployment of a series of parachutes, and ending with the crew module’s safe touchdown in the water about 10 kilometers off Sriharikota’s coast. The mission’s readiness was assessed at the prime minister’s review meeting, which confirmed its launch in 2025.
Prime Minister Modi instructed India to aim for new and ambitious goals, including establishing the “Bharatiya Antariksha Station” (Indian Space Station) by 2035 and sending the first Indian to the Moon by 2040, building on the success of the country’s recent Chandrayan-3 and Aditya L1 missions.