The first unmanned test of Flight Test Vehicle Abort Mission-1 (TV-D1) for the Gaganyaan mission is scheduled for October 21 at 8 am from the first launchpad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said on Tuesday.
It will be a short-duration mission and students and the public can witness the same by registering at lvg.shar.gov.in from 6 pm on October 17.
As it is the first demonstration flight of the Crew Escape System Test Vehicle, the meeting with the PM evaluated the Gaganyaan mission’s readiness, affirming Gaganyaan’s launch in 2025.
The Gaganyaan project aims to demonstrate human spaceflight capability by launching a three-member crew to a low earth orbit of 400 km for three days, and bringing them back safely, with a planned splashdown in Indian Ocean waters.
The department of Space on Tuesday presented a comprehensive overview of the Gaganyaan Mission to the PM, including various technologies developed so far such as human-rated launch vehicles and system qualification.
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It was noted that around 20 major tests, including three uncrewed missions of the Human Rated Launch Vehicle (HLVM3) are planned. Building on the success of the Indian space initiatives, including the recent Chandrayan-3 and Aditya L1 Missions, the PM 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.
To realise this vision, the department of Space will develop a roadmap for Moon exploration. This will encompass a series of Chandrayaan missions, the development of a Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV), construction of a new launch pad, setting up human-centric laboratories and associated technologies.
The PM also called upon Indian scientists to work towards interplanetary missions that would include a Venus Orbiter Mission and a Mars Lander.
PM Modi expressed confidence in India’s capabilities and affirmed the nation’s commitment to scaling new heights in space exploration.
