Integrated Air Drop Test for Gaganyaan Mission:
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully conducted its first Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-1) for the Gaganyaan mission.
- IADT-1 aimed to validate the performance of the parachute-based deceleration system for the Crew Module (CM) of the Gaganyaan mission in a real-world scenario.
- The test involved collaborations between ISRO, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Indian Air Force, Indian Navy, and Indian Coast Guard.
- Gaganyaan Mission is India’s first human spaceflight program, aiming to send a crew of 3 astronauts to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at 400 km for 3 days and return them safely to Earth.
- Mission Phases: Includes unmanned test missions followed by the first manned mission expected to happen in early 2027.
- Gaganyaan success will place India among the elite group of nations (US, Russia, China) with human spaceflight capability.
- Crew training for Gaganyaan: Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap, and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla are India’s astronauts-designated for Gaganyaan.
