Gaganyaan test launch aborted, ISRO says put on hold due to 'anomaly'
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Saturday postponed the first test launch of the Gaganyaan space mission. The eight-minute test's objective was to ensure that the future crew of the mission will be safe in the module.
ISRO was originally scheduled to launch the Test Vehicle Development Flight Mission-1 (TV-D1 Flight Test) at 7:30am, from Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota, but face multiple delays, eventually putting the test on hold.
«Engine ignition has not happened in the nominal course,» ISRO Chief Somanath said after the launch was put on hold.
Saturday's test was the first of four tests to ensure the success of the space agency's first manned mission, expected to take off in 2025.
This test involved the crew module, a vital payload in the rocket designed to be inhabited by the crew and provide them with an Earth-like environment. It consists of a pressurized metallic inner structure and an unpressurised external structure with thermal protection systems.
The crew module houses various critical systems, including crew interfaces, life support systems, avionics, and deceleration mechanisms, built to ensure crew safety during descent and landing.
The TV-D1 is an un unpressurised version of the eventual craft, designed to replicate the size and weight of the actual crew module that will be used in the Gaganyaan mission, the module is equipped with various systems for deceleration and recovery, including a set of parachutes.
2025's Gaganyaan project aims to send three crew members into space for three days, launching them into a 400km orbit above the Earth and bringing them back to land.
Gagayaan will make India the fourth nation to launch a manned spaceflight mission after the United States, Russia, and
