India tests parachutes for Gaganyaan astronaut capsule (video)

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India took another step towards its first-ever human spaceflight last week, by successfully testing the parachute system of its Gaganyaan astronaut capsule.

The test took place on November 3, using an Indian Air Force IL-76 aircraft and a capsule mass simulator that tipped the scales at 7.2 tonnes (6.5 metric tonnes).

The plane took off from the Babina Field firing range in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. He dropped the dummy capsule at an altitude of 1.6 miles (2.5 kilometers), forcing the Gaganyaan parachute in action.

There are 10 such parachutes on the Gaganyaan capsule, according to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) — two that remove the protective cover from the chute compartment, two “drugs” that stabilize and slow the descent of the vehicle, and three “pilots” that extract the three main chutes, which do the lion’s share of the deceleration work.

Mainlines deploy through a step-by-step process that ends with “dereefing” — the complete opening of a partially inflated chute (or “reef”). And there is redundancy built into the system; only two of the three main ones need to be deployed to bring the capsule down safely.

The November 3 test took place with two principals – and it applied stress to them in an off-nominal situation.

“The test assessed the structural integrity of the system and load distribution under asymmetric deformation conditions – one of the most critical loading scenarios expected during a real mission descent,” ISRO officials said in a statement. description of the drop test.

The Falls handled everything well, according to ISRO.

“The parachute system deployed as planned and the sequence was executed perfectly, and the test article achieved a stable descent and smooth landing, validating the robustness of the parachute design,” agency officials said. “The successful completion of this test marks another important step toward qualifying the parachute system for human spaceflight.”

However, there are still other major steps to be taken before the first Gaganyaan astronaut flight can be launched to low earth orbit. For example, ISRO currently plans to launch three uncrewed test missions with the capsule, which will carry a semi-humanoid data-collecting robot named Vyomitra (Sanskrit for “friend of space”).

If all goes well with these flights, astronauts could fly aboard the Gaganyaan crew module in the first quarter 2027ISRO officials said.