ISRO plans to conduct three uncrewed test flights of the capsule, each carrying Vyomitra—a data-gathering half-humanoid robot whose name means “space friend” in Sanskrit. (Image: ISRO)
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) conducted another key test last week as part of preparations for the country’s first human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan. The test, held on November 3, was designed to verify the crew module’s stability in the event of a delay in the deployment of one of its main parachutes.
The experiment used an IL-76 aircraft from the Indian Air Force, which carried a 7.2-tonne (6.5-metric-tonne) capsule mass simulator. The aircraft took off from the Babina Field Firing Range in Uttar Pradesh and released the dummy capsule from an altitude of 2.5 kilometers, triggering the deployment sequence of the Gaganyaan parachute system.
According to ISRO, the Gaganyaan crew module employs a complex parachute system consisting of 10 chutes: two that detach the compartment’s protective cover, two drogue chutes that stabilise and slow the capsule, and three pilot chutes that deploy the three main parachutes responsible for the majority of the deceleration.
The main parachutes open in a carefully sequenced process ending with disreefing—the complete inflation of a chute that initially opens only partially (reefed). The system is designed with redundancy: only two of the three main parachutes need to function correctly to ensure a safe landing.
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The November 3 test simulated a challenging “non-standard” condition by deploying only two main chutes and applying asymmetric loads. “The test evaluated the system’s structural integrity and load distribution under asymmetric disreefing conditions—one of the most critical load scenarios expected during an actual mission descent,” ISRO officials said.
The results were encouraging. “The parachute system deployed as planned, the sequence executed flawlessly, and the test article achieved a stable descent and soft landing, validating the robustness of the parachute design,” the agency reported. “The successful completion of this test marks another significant step toward qualifying the parachute system for human spaceflight.”
Several major milestones remain before the first crewed Gaganyaan mission to low Earth orbit. ISRO plans to conduct three uncrewed test flights of the capsule, each carrying Vyomitra—a data-gathering half-humanoid robot whose name means “space friend” in Sanskrit.
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If these tests proceed as scheduled, ISRO officials anticipate that India’s first astronauts could embark on their historic mission in early 2027.
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