Isro successfully conducts key parachute test for Gaganyaan mission

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) on Tuesday said it has successfully conducted a key Integrated Main Parachute Airdrop Test (IMAT) for the Gaganyaan mission at the Babina Field Firing Range (BFFR) in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh.

 

What was tested?

The trial, part of an ongoing qualification series for the Gaganyaan mission, focused on validating the main parachutes that ensure a safe landing of the Gaganyaan crew module, the space organisation said. The parachute system comprises 10 parachutes of four types, which operate in a sequence to stabilise, decelerate, and land the crew module safely, it added.

 

The process begins with two apex cover separation parachutes that remove the protective cover, followed by two drogue parachutes that stabilise the module. These are then succeeded by three pilot parachutes that extract the three main parachutes, designed to further slow down the descent for a soft touchdown. "The system is designed with redundancy—two of the three main parachutes are sufficient to achieve a safe landing," Isro said in a statement. 

How the test was conducted?

Isro carried out the test by dropping a simulated mass equivalent to the Gaganyaan crew module from an altitude of 2.5 kilometres (km) using an Indian Air Force IL-76 aircraft. "...the test article achieved a stable descent and soft landing, validating the robustness of the parachute design," the statement read.

 

It added that the test successfully demonstrated one of the most extreme scenarios, which involves a delay in disreefing (full opening) between two main parachutes. This condition tests the system’s "structural integrity and load distribution" under asymmetric stress, validating its performance at maximum design limits, Isro stated.

 

Isro stated that the test was carried out in collaboration between the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Indian Air Force, and the Indian Army.

 

The Gaganyaan mission

This achievement is crucial to ensuring the safety and reliability of the descent module for Gaganyaan, India’s maiden human spaceflight mission. It aims to demonstrate the country’s capability to safely launch, sustain, and return astronauts from space to Earth.  

 

Last month, Isro Chairman V Narayanan announced that the space agency plans to conduct three uncrewed Gaganyaan missions by 2026. The first of these, featuring the half-humanoid robot Vyommitra, is expected to lift off in December 2025, while the crewed Gaganyaan mission is expected to launch in 2027.