On 21st October 2023, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched Gaganyaan’s first flight Test Vehicle Abort Mission-1 (TV-D1) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh(AP).
Mission Definition:
“In-flight Abort Demonstration of Crew Escape System (CES)” at Mach number 1.2 with the newly developed Test Vehicle followed by Crew Module(CM) separation & safe recovery.
Mission Objective:
- Test all the systems of the Test Vehicle to make sure they are working properly.
- Test the CES to make sure it can safely separate the Crew Module from the Test Vehicle in the event of an emergency.
- Test the CM’s ability to fly and land safely at higher altitudes.
Working:
i.The flight simulated the abort condition during the ascent trajectory corresponding to a Mach number of 1.2 encountered in the Gaganyaan mission.
ii.At an height of about 17 km, the CES and CM got separated from the test vehicle.
iii.The CES then autonomously deployed the parachutes and slow the CM down to a safe landing in the sea, about 10 km from the coast of Sriharikota.
About TV-D1:
i.Test Vehicle Demonstration 1(TV-D1) is a low cost liquid propelled single stage rocket which is developed specifically for test missions.
ii.TV-D1 uses a modified VIKAS(VIKram Ambalal Sarabhai) engine with CM and CES mounted at its fore end.
iii.Navigation of the rocket is taken care by Mini Advanced inertial navigation system (INS) augmented by Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NavIC)/ Global Positioning System (GPS)
About Crew Escape System (CES):
i.The Crew Escape System (CES) is a system that can be used to safely evacuate the crew of a spacecraft in the event of an emergency.
ii.It consists of five types of quick-acting solid motors, which are used to generate the thrust needed to separate the spacecraft from the launch vehicle and propel it to a safe distance.
iii.The five types of motors are:
- Crew Escape System Jettisoning Motor (CJM)
- High-altitude Escape Motor (HEM)
- Low-altitude Escape Motor (LEM)
- Low-altitude Pitch Motor (LPM)
- High-altitude Pitch Motor (HPM)
About Crew Module(CM):
i.The Crew Module (CM) is the part of a spacecraft that houses the crew and their life support systems.
ii.The chamber’s pressure will be maintained at the pressure of earth surface.
iii.The Crew Module contains all the systems needed to descend the module and safely bringing it back to Earth.
- This includes parachutes, recovery aids, and pyrotechnic devices.
IAF Test Fired Long Ranged BrahMos Missile
Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully tested the air launch version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missile.
- The missile was launched from a Sukhoi Su-30 Modernizirovannyi Kommercheskiy Indiski (MKI) fighter jet in an airbase in Bay of Bengal.
- This is a long range version of supersonic weapon system with a range of about 1500km.
- The BrahMos missile can be launched from a range of platforms, including fighter jets, submarines, ships, and land-based systems.
- It is developed by BrahMos Aerospace which is a joint venture between Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya (NPO Mash) and India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
Recent Related News:
On 2nd September 2023, the Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) launched Aditya-L1(Lagrange Point 1), India’s 1st observatory-class space-based solar mission, launched by PSLV-C57 (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) rocket from the Second Launch Pad (SLP), Satish Dhawan Space Centre – SDSC (formerly Sriharikota Range – SHAR) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh(AP).
About the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO):
Chairman– S. Somanath
Headquarters– Bengaluru, Karnataka
Establishment– 1969
