ISRO’s Gaganyaan Mission: New Era in Manned Spaceflight

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — After several confirmations, the Chandrayaan-3 mission from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is confirmed to be no longer active. This was followed by the failure of the Vikram mission lander and the Pragyan rover. However, even though the era of Chandrayaan-3 is over, a new era in manned spaceflight seems to be starting soon for ISRO.

ISRO is gearing up to conduct the first test flight of the Gaganyaan mission. The Chandrayaan-3 mission was originally designed to last one lunar day or about 14 Earth days. After achieving its scientific objectives, the mission was temporarily shut down in the hope that the lander and rover could be reactivated on a lunar night. However, it is now clear that the extreme temperatures and conditions of the moonlit night mean he will never wake up again.

Despite these minor disappointments, the Chandrayaan-3 mission has been deemed an overall success, demonstrating its capabilities India to land a spacecraft on the Moon. To date, only four countries have achieved similar achievements, namely the United States, the former Soviet Union, China and India. On the heels of the success of Chandrayaan-3 and with the upcoming launch of the Aditya-L1 mission, ISRO is now gearing up to conduct the first test flight of their manned mission.

Reported Indian Express on Tuesday (10/10/2023), ISRO announced that it was preparing for Flight Test Vehicle Abort Mission-1 (TV-D1), which is an unmanned flight test for the Gaganyaan mission. This test will evaluate the performance of its Crew Escape System. The Gaganyaan mission’s crew module will house astronauts during the mission in Earth-like conditions, but TV-D1 tested an unpressurized version of the crew module ready for launch. This unpressurized version has the same size and mass as the original module, and is equipped with all the necessary systems for deceleration and recovery.

The module also has a complete parachute and recovery aid system, actuation system and pyro. The avionics systems in the crew module are in a “dual redundant mode” configuration to provide navigation, telemetry sequencing, instrumentation and power supply. After completing its mission, this module will land in the Bay of Bengal, and will be retrieved by the Indian Navy using a special ship and a team of divers.

Through the Gaganyaan mission, ISRO hopes to demonstrate human spaceflight capabilities by launching three astronauts into a 400-kilometer orbit over three days, and bringing them back safely to Earth. Currently, the United States, Russia, and China are the only three countries that have the capability to launch human space missions for the public benefit, and even private companies like SpaceX have proven their capabilities in launching manned missions.

To achieve success in the Gaganyaan mission, ISRO will have to develop various critical technologies, including a human-safe launch vehicle, life support systems and emergency rescue equipment for its astronauts. Apart from this, ISRO will also have to handle the training, recovery and rehabilitation aspects of the crew.

ISRO uses Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM3), previously known as GSLV Mk-III, as its launch vehicle. This vehicle is ISRO’s most powerful and has a proven track record. However, to meet human requirements, the LVM3 had to be reconfigured into a Human Rated LVM3 (HLVM3) with a crew escape system powered by a solid motor. This escape system will secure the crew module in an emergency, both on the launch pad and during ascent.

The mission’s orbital module will consist of a crew module and a service module. The crew module will provide an Earth-like pressurized and habitable environment for astronauts, while the service module will contain thermal systems, propulsion, power, avionics and deployment mechanisms.

ISRO has also set up an Astronaut Training Facility in Bengaluru to train astronauts in various aspects, including physical training, simulation and understanding of mission flight systems. Training will also include adaptation to microgravity via parabolic flights, as well as medical and recovery training. With these steps, ISRO is determined to achieve success in the Gaganyaan mission and add extraordinary achievements to their space exploration.

2023-10-10 03:25:24
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