The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is extending its technological expertise beyond traditional defence applications by supporting India’s first human spaceflight programme, Gaganyaan.

The organisation has developed specialised food items and advanced landing gear systems, including parachute assemblies designed for astronaut recovery operations.

B K Das, Director General of Electronics and Communication Systems at DRDO, highlighted the breadth of work in progress for the mission during the DRDO Industry Synergy Meet held in Bangalore.

He stated that the organisation has crafted innovative food formulations to meet the nutritional demands of astronauts and has engineered precision parachute mechanisms intended for the safe re-entry and landing of the crew module.

Das further explained that these advancements are part of DRDO’s broader agenda to ensure the dual utility of military-grade technologies for both defence and civilian space applications.

This cross-domain synergy aims to enhance self-reliance and reduce dependence on foreign technology partners, in line with the national objective of indigenous capability development.

Collaboration between the DRDO and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been crucial in realising these developments.

According to Das, several technologies have already undergone rigorous laboratory and field trials with successful outcomes, achieving “very good results” in both controlled and operational environments.

These trials mark the first two phases of testing, with a few refinements still under progress to reach final mission readiness.

He expressed confidence that the remaining work will be completed soon, reinforcing both organisations’ satisfaction with the progress achieved so far.

The Gaganyaan mission, designed to carry Indian astronauts into low Earth orbit and safely return them to Earth, represents a landmark in India’s space journey.

The final crewed flight is targeted for 2027, following three uncrewed test missions — the first of which is expected by the end of December this year.

Agencies