BENGALURU: As Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, India’s first astronaut and Gaganyatri, is gaining first hand knowledge of manned space missions onboard the International Space Station as part of the Axiom-4 mission, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) team is also working over time to be on schedule for the launch of the Gaganyaan mission -- the first indigenous manned space mission.
ISRO on Wednesday shared details of the successful completion of two hot tests of the Gaganyaan Service Module Propulsion System. The tests were conducted for a 30 seconds and 100 seconds to validate the test article configuration. The ISRO team stated that all parameters and performance of the propulsion system during these hot tests were as per the pre-test indicators and normal.
ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said the team has planned to launch the Gaganyaan mission in March 2027. “For success in the first attempt, a series of tests and preparations are important and they are being done step by step.”
RCS thrusters with LAM working fine: ISRO
“Each test parameter is also being doubly checked to ensure there are no anomalies at later stages,” Narayanan said.
The ISRO team on Wednesday said the tests of reaction control system (RCS) thrusters in all the different modes along with the Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) were found to be successful.
“The ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion System Centre (LPSC) is leading the technology development activities for the Gaganyaan’s Service Module Propulsion System (SMPS). SMPS is a critical system of Gaganyaan Orbital Module. It is required during orbital manoeuvring and for specific abort scenarios. It comprises five 5 LAM engines and 16 RCS thrusters. Now with the results and input gained from these short hot tests, ISRO will soon conduct a full duration hot test,” the ISRO team said.