Sriharikota: All set for test launch of Gaganyaan

Sriharikota : The launch of a single-stage liquid propulsion rocket on Saturday will signal ISRO's journey towards its ambitious human space flight programme, Gaganyaan, when the first crew module test to ensure the safety of astronauts will be conducted by the space agency here.

ISRO aims to send humans into space on a Low Earth Orbit of 400 km for a three-day mission and bring them safely back to earth. Unlike other missions undertaken by the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency, ISRO would attempt a successful launch of its Test Vehicle (TV-D1), a single-stage liquid propulsion rocket, scheduled to lift off from the first launch pad at this spaceport at 8 am on October 21 (Saturday).

The Test Vehicle mission with this crew module is a significant milestone for the overall Gaganyaan programme as a nearly complete system is integrated for a flight test.

Meanwhile, sources on Friday said scientists at Satish Dhawan Space Centre here, are gearing up for a countdown ahead of the lift-off, which is expected to take place later on Friday night or early Saturday. The success of this test flight would set the stage for the remaining qualification tests and unmanned missions, leading to the first Gaganyaan programme with Indian astronauts, which is expected to take shape in 2025. The crew module is the payload in the rocket and it is a habitable space with an Earth-like environment in space for the crew.