Key trails for Gaganyaan conducted

Subject: Science and technology

Section: Space technology

Concept:

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), along with the Indian Navy, has conducted an important trial for the Gaganyaan, human space flight mission.
It carried out initial recovery trials of the Crew Module in the Navy’s Water Survival Test Facility (WSTF) in Kochi.
These trials are part of the preparation for crew module recovery operations for the Gaganyaan mission.

About Gaganyaan Mission

Gaganyaan is a mission by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
Under the Gaganyaan schedule:
- Three flights will be sent into orbit.
- There will be two unmanned flights and one human spaceflight.
The Gaganyaan system module, called the Orbital Module will have three Indian astronauts, including a woman.
It will circle Earth at a low-earth-orbit at an altitude of 300-400 km from earth for 5-7 days.
ISRO is developing the spacecraft for the mission while the Russian space agency ROSCOSMOS is helping in extending the required training to the astronauts.
If the mission is successful, India would become the fourth country to have sent humans to space after the US, Russia and China.
The total cost of the mission is expected to be close to ₹10000 crores.

Payloads:

Crew module –spacecraft carrying human beings.
Service module –powered by two liquid propellant engines.
It will be equipped with emergency escape and emergency mission abort.
GSLV Mk III, also called the LVM-3 (Launch Vehicle Mark-3,) the three-stage heavy lift launch vehicle, will be used to launch Gaganyaan as it has the necessary payload capability.