Still on a high from launching back-to-back missions to the Moon and Sun, India is now ready to test its ability to send astronauts to space.
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is set to launch an empty crew module and bring it back to Earth to test the capsule’s emergency escape system. The Gaganyaan mission will lift off on Saturday, October 21 at 10:30 p.m. ET (8:00 a.m. local time) from Satish Dhawan Space Center, according to ISRO. The empty crew module will be recovered after touching down in the Bay of Bengal.
“The success of this test flight will set the stage for the for the remaining qualification tests and [uncrewed] missions, leading to the first Gaganyaan mission with Indian astronauts,” ISRO wrote in a statement.
The test crew capsule will launch aboard a single stage liquid rocket that was developed specifically for this mission. The rocket will simulate an emergency abort scenario, which is designed to test the capsule’s emergency system. India’s crewed Gaganyaan mission, on the other hand, will use the 143-foot-tall (43.5-meter) Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3) rocket with a solid stage, liquid stage, and cryogenic stage.
For the upcoming Saturday launch, the crew capsule will not be pressurized. However, it has the same dimensions and weight as the version intended for astronauts. Additionally, it comes equipped with parachutes, recovery aid systems, and pyrotechnics. The test flight will also test the capsule’s parachute-assisted reentry, in addition to the crew escape system that is designed to eject the crew in case of emergency.
India is testing the crew module as part of its plan to launch astronauts to low Earth orbit in 2024 as part of the country’s growing spaceflight ambitions.
In late August, Chandrayaan-3, India’s second attempt at a touchdown on the lunar surface, achieved a soft landing on the Moon’s south polar region. The mission placed India among the few countries, including the Soviet Union, U.S., and China, that have successfully landed on the Moon. Additionally, it marked the first landing on the lunar south pole (though China begs to differ on this point). Shortly after, India headed towards the Sun with its Aditya-L1 mission, which launched in September to observe solar activity and study space weather.
India recently revealed an even more ambitious timeline to set up its own space station, the Bharatiya Antariksha Station, in Earth orbit by 2035 and send the first Indian to the Moon by 2040, local media announced.
Following the launch of an empty test capsule on Saturday, ISRO wants to carry out another test flight that will carry a robot to orbit, according to Reuters. “Before the ultimate manned ‘Gaganyaan’ mission, there will be a test flight next year, which will carry Vyommitra, the female robot astronaut,” Jitendra Singh, deputy minister for science and technology, is quoted as saying.