BENGALURU: The Gaganyaan Mission ticks off another box as Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully conducted a series of drogue parachute deployment tests which will help the astronauts land safely from space.
The tests were conducted during 8 to 10 August by the ISRO team at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) at the Rail Track Rocket Sled (RTRS) facility of the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory, Chandigarh.
These tests play a crucial role in the Ganganyaan Mission which will take three crew members into a 400 km orbit for a 3-day mission and bringing them back to Earth by landing in the Indian sea waters early next year. These parachutes play a pivotal role in stabilizing the crew module and reducing its velocity to a safe level during re-entry.
Drogue parachutes are packed within pyro-based devices known as mortars which are ingeniously designed to eject the parachutes into the air upon command. “These conical ribbon-type parachutes ensure a smooth and controlled descent,” said ISRO.
The team tried three different variations to rigorously evaluate the performance of the parachutes. ISRO in a statement said, “The first test simulated the maximum reefed load, marking a groundbreaking introduction of reefing in a mortar-deployed parachute within India. The second test emulated the maximum disreefed load.”
The third test showcased the deployment of the drogue parachute under conditions mirroring the maximum angle of attack experienced by the Crew Module during its mission said the space agency.