BENGALURU: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Wednesday announced that it has started assembling the Human Rated Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (HLVM3) for Gaganyaan’s first uncrewed flight.
The announcement was made on the day ISRO celebrated its 10th anniversary of LVM3-X/ Crew Module Atmospheric Re-Entry.
At 8.45am on Wednesday, the stacking of the nozzle-end segment with full flex seal nozzle of the S200 motor took place at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC). With this, ISRO commenced the official launch campaign of the HLVM3-G1 / OM-1 mission, according to a press release.Work on fixing S200 motors will now take place with the assembly of segments, control systems and avionics.
The crew escape systems have reached SDSC. Integration of the crew module is being done at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) and that of the service module at UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC). The Orbital Module (OM) level integration and tests will subsequently take place at URSC.
The release said, “It was on December 18 that the Indian Coast Guard recovered the crew module from the Bay of Bengal. The same day, LVM3-X, in its maiden flight, lifted a crew module weighing 3,775 kg into a suborbital altitude of 126 km from where it was controlled using thrusters ensuring a favourable re-entry. The crew module was developed as part of pre-project activities of the human spaceflight project. It is a coincidence that 10 years later, ISRO is gearing up for the first uncrewed mission of Gaganyaan.”
Success of the LVM3-X/CARE mission has been instrumental in ISRO’s journey. The inputs obtained have been incorporated in the human spaceflight programme. The iterations in the crew module design, along with subsequent pad abort tests, air-drop tests and test vehicle flights have been built on the foundational data provided by CARE, the release said.
It said the human-rating of LVM3 has been completed and all systems have been tested for enhanced reliability. Inclusion of the Crew Escape System (CES) has increased confidence for the manned missions planned by ISRO. The data gained through the uncrewed flights will be instrumental for the success of the manned missions.
The experience gained from Gaganyaan programme will also play a vital role in construction and operationalisation of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS).A team from ISRO said that CES is operational from the launch pad till its separation after the atmospheric flight regime. HLVM3 is a three-stage vehicle with a payload of 10 tonnes to Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The vehicle is 53 metres tall and weighs 640 tonnes. The vehicle is getting ready for launch with the crew module and associated systems undergoing final checks.