ISRO's Gaganyaan mission test flight live updates: The TV-D1 mission is a crucial test of the Gaganyaan crew module's Crew Escape System.
Today, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to embark on the first in a series of test flights for a mission that will put India on the small and exclusive list of countries that can launch a crewed spacecraft by itself—Gaganyaan.
The automatic launch sequence began at 8.30 AM IST, but the mission’s ground computers halted the sequence after observing an anomaly, according to ISRO chief S Somanath. Since then, the issue has been identified, and the mission launched at 10 AM IST on October 21. The Crew Escape System successfully separated the Crew Module from the launch vehicle. After descending using parachutes, it splashed down successfully in the Bay of Bengal.
The test vehicle
Gaganyaan mission test flight live updates: The actual Gaganyaan mission will be launched by a human-rated LVM3 rocket, which will be an upgraded version of the same launch vehicle that carried Chandrayaan-3. The low-cost basic rocket being used for this test mission is specifically designed for testing systems. An LVM3 launch can cost between Rs 300 and 400 crore, meaning that using it for tests is impractical.
What this Gaganyaan test is for
Gaganyaan mission test flight live updates: TV-D1 stands for Test Vehicle Demonstration 1. So among the things being tested during the mission is the test vehicle itself, a single-stage rocket designed exclusively for such tests. The mission will also demonstrate a basic version of the crew module, which is the capsule where astronaut(s) will be seated during the actual Gaganyaan mission. This test will check whether the systems that are meant to separate the crew module from the rocket mid-flight in case of an emergency work.
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