Union minister Jitendra Singh has congratulated the Indian Space Organisation for successfully conducting the second Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-02) for the ambitious Gaganyaan mission.
The test, which was conducted at Satish Dhawan Space Station, Sriharikota, marks an important milestone towards the readiness for the Gaganyaan mission.
The Gaganyaan mission is the country's first human spaceflight programme, aimed at demonstrating indigenous capability to send a three-member crew into a 400-km orbit for a three-day mission and return them safely to Earth.
The parachute-based deceleration system plays a crucial role during the final phase of descent, ensuring the Crew Module lands safely in the sea by reducing its velocity to acceptable limits.
The system comprises multiple parachutes, including Apex Cover Separation parachutes, Drogue parachutes, Pilot parachutes, and Main parachutes, all deployed in a precise sequence.
The test successfully validated the deployment sequence and performance of the parachutes, ultimately reducing the module's touchdown velocity to about 8 metres per second.
