India's maiden human space flight, Gaganyaan Mission likely to be launched in 2025: PMO

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday reviewed the readiness of the Gaganyaan Mission. The meeting, which was attended by senior officials from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and other government agencies, evaluated the mission's progress and affirmed its launch in 2025.

The Prime Minister was briefed on the progress of the Gaganyaan Mission and the various milestones that have been achieved so far. He was also informed about the challenges that lie ahead and the steps that are being taken to address them. 

Notably, 20 major tests, including 3 uncrewed missions of the Human Rated Launch Vehicle (HLVM3) are planned. First demonstration flight of the Crew Escape System Test Vehicle is scheduled on October 21, the press note read.

The Prime Minister expressed confidence in India's capabilities and affirmed the nation's commitment to scaling new heights in space exploration. He also directed that India should now aim for new and ambitious goals, including setting up ‘Bharatiya Antariksha Station’ (Indian Space Station) by 2035 and sending the first Indian to the Moon by 2040.

PM Modi also called upon Indian scientists to work towards interplanetary missions that would include a Venus Orbiter Mission and a Mars Lander.

ISRO on Monday announced that the vehicle for the unmanned test flight for the Gaganyaan mission will be launched between 7 am and 9 am on October 21.

“Mission Gaganyaan: The TV-D1 test flight is scheduled for October 21, 2023 between 7 am and 9 am from SDSC-SHAR, Sriharikota. #Gaganyaan,” wrote Isro on the micro-blogging site X (formerly twitter).

The test flight will be unmanned and will test the performance of the Crew Escape System. The Crew Escape System is designed to protect the astronauts in the event of an emergency during launch or ascent.

The test flight will be launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. It will be launched on a GSLV Mark III rocket, which is India's most powerful rocket.

The Test Vehicle Abort mission-1 (TV-D1), a single-stage liquid rocket created particularly for this abort mission, come with Crew Module (CM) and Crew Escape Systems (CES) with their fast-acting solid motors, along with CM fairing (CMF) and Interface Adapters.

Set to be separated from the Test Vehicle at an altitude of about 17 km, the Contemporary Escape System (CES) will deploy a series of parachutes following its detachment. 

This abort sequence will culminate with the crew module making a safe touchdown in the sea, approximately 10 km from the coast of Sriharikota. 

The recovery of the crew module post-touchdown will involve dedicated naval vessels and a proficient diving team from the Indian Navy.

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