The Indian Space Research Organisation achieved another significant milestone for the Gaganyaan human spaceflight program with the successful test of the Crew Module’s main parachutes at the Babina Field Firing Range in Jhansi on 3 November.

The evaluation forms part of a crucial series of Integrated Main Parachute Airdrop Tests (IMAT), being carried out to validate and qualify the complex parachute system essential for ensuring the crew module’s safe return to Earth.

The Gaganyaan mission represents India’s first attempt to send humans into space, with plans for a three-member crew undertaking a three-day mission in low-Earth orbit before returning safely. In preparation for this historic flight, ISRO is rigorously testing every critical subsystem of the human-rated launch vehicle, orbital module, and crew-escape system.

These preliminary phases involve a sequence of unmanned tests to ensure all safety and recovery mechanisms perform reliably under extreme conditions.

The parachute system for the Gaganyaan Crew Module is designed to operate through a multi-step deployment sequence. It contains ten parachutes of four distinct types, each playing a precise role in ensuring the module decelerates safely through the atmosphere.

The descent sequence begins with two apex cover separation parachutes, which remove the protective cover of the parachute compartment. This is followed by the deployment of two drogue parachutes, whose main function is to stabilise the rapidly descending module and begin its initial deceleration.

After the drogues complete their role, three pilot parachutes are released. These pilots extract the three massive main parachutes that ultimately slow the crew module during the final descent phase, allowing for a controlled touchdown.

The design incorporates redundancy — only two of the three main parachutes are required for a safe landing. This ensures mission safety even in the unlikely event of a partial deployment failure.

A key feature of the system is the reefed inflation mechanism employed by the main parachutes. During this process, the parachutes first open partially in a phase known as reefing, before fully opening after a specific time delay called disreefing.

This gradual inflation minimises the sudden loads experienced by both parachute and module, enhancing stability and structural integrity during descent. The transition between these phases is governed by a pyro device which uses controlled combustion to trigger precise mechanical actions, enabling timed release of the parachute lines.

The recent test specifically simulated one of the most extreme conditions expected during an actual mission— a delay in the dis-reefing of one of the main parachutes. The objective was to validate the parachute system’s structural integrity and verify balanced load distribution under asymmetric dis-reefing conditions. This scenario represents one of the most challenging load cases during descent, and performance under such settings is crucial to qualify the system for human flight use.

For this test, a simulated mass equivalent to the Crew Module was air-dropped from an altitude of about 2.5 kilometres using an Indian Air Force IL-76 aircraft. The deployment sequence unfolded exactly as intended, with each stage performing flawlessly from drogue release to main parachute inflation.

The test article achieved a stable descent and a soft landing, demonstrating that the design can endure delayed inflation conditions without compromising safety or reliability.

The successful test was a joint effort involving several key Indian institutions — the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) under ISRO, the Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE) of DRDO, the Indian Air Force, and the Indian Army. Their collective participation ensured the precise execution of this high-risk trial.

With this successful demonstration, ISRO has cleared another vital step on the path to human-rating the entire parachute recovery system. The validation under extreme conditions provides a strong assurance of reliability and performance during the actual crewed mission.

It strengthens India’s confidence in achieving a safe recovery capability, marking tangible progress toward launching the country’s first astronauts into space under the Gaganyaan program.

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