Gaganyaan Mission Launch Date, ISRO Test Flight with Live Updates

Gaganyaan Mission: Under the Gaganyaan Mission 2023, ISRO will be sending three humans to an orbit of 400 km for a 3-day mission and bringing them back safely to Earth. On 21^st October 2023, ISRO took the first step by launching the first in a series of test flights for the mission. The article mentions details on the launch date, time, aim, and updates on the Gaganyaan Mission.

Gaganyaan Mission Live

Earlier ISRO posted on X, “Mission Gaganyaan: ISRO to commence unmanned flight tests for the Gaganyaan mission. Preparations for the Flight Test Vehicle Abort Mission-1 (TV-D1), which demonstrates the performance of the Crew Escape System, are underway.”

ISRO’s first test flight for its Gaganyaan mission launched at 10:00 a.m. from its Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota. The first Flight Test Vehicle Abort Mission-1 (TV-D1) to demonstrate the Crew Escape System (CES) performance successfully touched down in the seawater of Bay Bengal.

Gaganyaan Mission News

• The key phase of India’s first Human Space Mission- Gaganyaan, commenced today – Saturday, October 21, 2023, with the launch of the First Test Vehicle Flight TV-D1 from Sriharikota.
• A single-stage liquid propulsion rocket, equipped with a Crew Module and Crew Escape System was launched at 10:00 am on Saturday. The test vehicle mission is aimed at demonstrating the safety of the crew module and crew escape system in bringing Indian astronauts back to Earth in the forthcoming Gaganyaan mission.
• Test Vehicle-D1 (TV-D1) lifted off successfully at 10 am on Saturday after delays. The test vehicle blasted off from the first launch pad at the rocket port in Sriharikota. The lift-off was originally scheduled at 8 a.m. but due to minor inconveniences, weather conditions, and poor visibility, it was rescheduled for 8.45 a.m. The test vehicle finally lifted off at 10 a.m. This mission exhibits a significant milestone in India’s effort to send humans into space.

Gaganyaan Mission Launch Date and Time

On October 21, 2023 the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully completed the first in a series of test flights for a mission, making India on the exclusive list of countries that can launch a crewed spacecraft by itself. On top of the Human Rated Launch Vehicle (HRLV), a version of India’s most potent rocket, the Launch Vehicle Mark III (LVM3) modified for crewed spaceflight, Gaganyaan was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

The mission then launched at 10 AM IST on October 21. The Crew Module was safely freed from the launch vehicle using the Crew Escape System. Due to minor inconveniences, the automatic launch sequence was initially scheduled at 8.30 AM IST, but according to ISRO Chief S Somanath, the mission’s ground computers halted the sequence after observing an anomaly. The launch suffered a delay of 1.5 hours.

Gaganyaan Mission

Gaganyaan is a mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to send three members to space for a period of three days on a crewed spacecraft developed by ISRO. The mission was first announced in the Independence Day speech by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018. The Gaganyaan spacecraft was placed in a low-earth orbit (LEO) of 300–400 kilometers. The total mission cost is expected to be around Rs. 9000 crore.

This first mission of its kind, Gaganyaan aims to send Indian astronauts to space. If the mission is successful, India will join the US, Russia, and China as the fourth nation to have sent humans into space.  Gaganyaan consists of two parts, the crew module (CM) and the service module (SM), which together form the orbital module. The crew module is designed to carry the three astronauts to space under the Gaganyaan mission. The crew module will sit on top of the service module, which will contain the propulsion and power systems of the craft. Upon entry, the crew module will separate from the service module and fall into the ocean.The first step was to test the safe launch of crew members, and the actual mission will be launched in 2024 where 3 astronauts, including 1 female astronaut, will be sent to space.

Gaganyaan Mission Test Flight

The Flight Test Vehicle Abort Mission-1 (TV-D1) for the Gaganyaan mission launched from the first launch pad at SDSC-SHAR in Sriharikota on Saturday, October 21^st 2023. ISRO successfully launched its TV-D1, a single-stage liquid propulsion rocket. The test vehicle mission is very significant for the overall success of the Gaganyaan mission. The Test Vehicle Abort Mission launches the crew escape system and crew module at an altitude of 17 km which is expected to make a safe touchdown in the sea, about 10 km from Sriharikota on India’s eastern coast. The single-stage liquid propellant-based rocket carried an unpressurized version of the crew module, simulating the size and mass of the module intended for astronauts to travel to space in the future.

Gaganyaan Mission Aim

• The Gaganyaan Mission aims to send three humans into space on a Low Earth Orbit of 400 km for three days and bring them safely back to Earth.
• The mission checks the capability of human-crewed spaceflight by sending three individuals into a 400-kilometer orbit.
• The Gaganyaan Mission envisages the demonstration of human spaceflight to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) in the short term and lays the foundation for a sustained Indian human space exploration program in the long run.
• The basic objective of ISRO behind the Gaganyaan Mission is to boost science and technology and their development in the nation.
• Through its mission, ISRO also intends to encourage the youth to participate and grow in the field of science and technology.
• The main purpose of launching the spacecraft is to confirm astronauts travel to space.

Other Missions of ISRO

Amidst the ongoing Gaganyaan Mission, ISRO has planned various other missions, namely the NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) Satellite, SPADEX, X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat), RISAT-1A, GSLV INSAT 3DS and many more.

Gaganyaan Mission UPSC

ISRO’s first human space flight programme Gaganyaan is an important topic for the UPSC exam covered under the science and technology section. Indian space missions and the latest updates on space missions are important from the UPSC Current Affairs, UPSC Prelims and the Mains perspectives.

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