Safe Return for Gaganyaan Astronauts: ISRO & Navy Conduct Key Trials for India’s First Human Spaceflight

India’s journey towards its first human spaceflight just took a big leap forward as ISRO and the Indian Navy completed successful “well-deck” recovery trials for the Gaganyaan mission’s Crew Module. Held on 6 December 2024, off the coast of Visakhapatnam, these trials are a key milestone in guaranteeing the safe return of astronauts after their mission in space.

The Heart of Recovery Operations

The primary objective of these trials is to minimize recovery time and ensure the least discomfort for the crew once the Crew Module touches down in the sea. By practicing these intricate maneuvers, ISRO and the Indian Navy aim to fine-tune their Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for both nominal and emergency recovery scenarios. This meticulous planning is essential for the final step of any successful human spaceflight mission – the safe recovery of the crew.

A few days ago, the recovery trials were carried out using a well-deck ship from the Eastern Naval Command, a vessel designed to flood its deck with water. This innovative technique allows for the secure docking and recovery of boats, landing crafts, and spacecraft. During the trials, a mock-up of the Crew Module, simulating its mass and shape, was used to validate the entire recovery sequence.

The process involved a few key steps:

• Attaching a recovery buoy to the Crew Module.
• Towing the module into the well-deck of the ship.
• Maneuvering the module into the well-deck.
• Draining the water from the well-deck to ensure safe exit for the astronauts.

The Bigger Picture: Gaganyaan Mission

The Gaganyaan mission is designed to demonstrate India’s human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of three members into an orbit of 400 km for a three-day mission. The spacecraft, consisting of a Crew Module (CM) and a Service Module (SM), will be launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on top of the Human Rated Launch Vehicle (HRLV), a modified version of India’s Launch Vehicle Mark III (LVM3).

What’s Next for Gaganyaan?

The successful completion of these recovery trials is part of a broader series of tests and training programs. ISRO and the Indian Navy have outlined a comprehensive training plan that includes incremental phases, starting from unmanned recovery to manned recovery training in both harbor and open sea conditions. The astronauts have already completed two-thirds of their training, with the first uncrewed test flight scheduled for late 2024 and the first crewed mission targeted for the fourth quarter of 2026.