Gaganyaan Mission

A series of qualification tests for drogue parachutes, which have been carried out to develop a deceleration system for ISRO's Gaganyaan crew module, were successful, the space agency said on Saturday. These tests were completed at the Rail Track Rocket Sled (RTRS) facility of the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) in Chandigarh, on December 18 and 19, the ISRO said. The deceleration system of the Gaganyaan crew module comprises a total of 10 parachutes of four types, the agency said in a statement. According to ISRO, the descent sequence begins with the separation of two apex cover separation parachutes, which remove the protective cover from the parachute compartment. This is followed by the deployment of two drogue parachutes that stabilise and decelerate the module. "Upon release of the drogues, three pilot parachutes are deployed to extract three main parachutes, which further slow down the crew module to ensure a safe touchdown," ISRO said. The space agency said

From a surge in startups to crewed mission preparations, 2025 marks a transformative year as India eyes $44 billion space economy by 2033

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

On August 24, Isro successfully conducted the first integrated air drop test for the Gaganyaan programme at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota

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Dr V Narayanan, chairperson of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), on Saturday stressed how India’s evolving space programme plays a crucial role in advancing scientific knowledge.

"The entire landscape is changing, and I think the future is extremely bright," said astronaut and Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla here on Monday, while stressing that it was only perseverance that has defined his success. Shukla reached his hometown this morning for the first time since his historic AXIOM 4 space mission. Although he arrived in India from the US on August 17, he is visiting the Uttar Pradesh capital now after participating in multiple outreach events, including a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 18 in Delhi. Speaking to children at his alma mater, City Montessori School (CMS), the first Indian to visit the International Space Station said, "In my experience that I have had in the last five years of training and last one year of flying to the International Space Station and coming back -- looking at how this entire landscape is changing, I think the future is extremely bright." "We are at the right time, right opportunities exist

Undergoing survival tests in simulated environment, learning photography to document space experiences and a team kayaking off the Mexican coast to foster camaraderie -- these were some of the activities that the crew of Axiom-4 had engaged in before setting off on the mission, astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla said. During an event hosted by the Indian Air Force on Sunday, Group Captain Shukla, who goes by the callsign 'Shux', shared his experiences and challenges he faced while being part of the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) and the training he underwent prior to it. After several postponements, the Dragon spacecraft carrying him and other three astronauts was launched from the Kennedy Space Centre in the US on June 25. "It was so powerful, it literally shakes every bone in your body. You are going from 0 km/hr to 28,500 km/hr in 8.5 minutes, and that speaks about the magnitude of it," Shukla recalled the intensity of the lift-off experience. As the spacecraf

As part of the Axiom-4 mission, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla became the first Indian ever to set foot on the International Space Station and only the second Indian to travel to space

The test, involving IAF, DRDO, Navy and Coast Guard, proved the parachute-based deceleration system that will ensure Gaganyaan crew module's safe splashdown

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said Gaganyaan mission symbolises a "new chapter" in the journey of Atmanirbhar Bharat and called astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and the other three chosen Gaganyatris as "gems." At an event hosted by the IAF at Subroto Park here, Singh felicitated the four Gaganyatris. The ceremony comes after the successful Axiom 4 mission, of which Shukla was a part. Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap, and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla are the four chosen Gaganyatris. Their names were revealed for the first time in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram in February 2024. The Gaganyaan mission of India symbolises a new chapter in the journey of Atmanirbhar Bharat, he said. The Gaganyaan project, formally announced by Modi in 2018, aims to send a three-member crewed flight into the 400 km-orbit for a three-

Shubhanshu Shukla, who recently returned from the successful Axiom-4 Mission, said the experience from the International Space Station (ISS) would be very useful for the Gaganyaan mission

Meeting ISS astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed that India must build a pool of 40-50 astronauts to power its future space programme, including the Gaganyaan mission

After 18 days in space, Shubhanshu Shukla becomes first Indian to visit ISS, boosting India's Gaganyaan mission and space goals including a Moon landing by 2040

This mission has been a major learning opportunity for us. Isro took up this mission to gather experience that will help us in our Gaganyaan programme, said Isro's Desai

ISRO on Saturday said it has successfully completed the development of Service Module Propulsion System (SMPS) for Gaganyaan Mission with the completion of the qualification test programme. A full duration hot test of SMPS for 350 seconds was conducted to validate the integrated performance of the SMPS for flight off-nominal mission profile of the Service Module based mission abort on Friday. Gaganyaan mission is India's first human spaceflight mission in the making. "The overall performance of the propulsion system during the hot test was normal as per pre-test predictions," ISRO said in a statement. According to the space agency, "The Service Module (SM) of Gaganyaan is a regulated bi-propellant based propulsion system that caters to the requirements of the Orbital Module for orbit circularisation, on-orbit control, de-boost manoeuvring and Service Module based abort during the ascent phase." The Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) engines provide the main propulsive force during the orbi

Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will return to Earth on July 15 after 18 days aboard the ISS; Isro says he will undergo a 7-day rehab to help adapt to Earth's gravity post splashdown

The Axiom-4 launch will commence from Launch Complex 39A at Nasa's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew will be utilising a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, launched by its Falcon 9 rocket

Citing safety concerns after ISS repair checks, Nasa withdrew from Axiom-4, prompting Axiom to halt the mission indefinitely and Isro to recall its astronaut crew

In a statement, SpaceX announced that it was 'standing down' from the Falcon 9 launch of the Axiom-4 mission, which will be carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three others