In Images | Sneak peek at ISRO’s prep for Gaganyaan mission’s first test

India’s space odyssey continues. All eyes have turned to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as it gears up for the Gaganyaan mission – the country’s first human spaceflight mission.

And as prep for this upcoming mission, expected to be launched mid-2024, ISRO will be carrying out the Flight Test Vehicle Abort Mission-1 (TV-D1) on Saturday (21 October) at 8 am. This test, scheduled to be held from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh will demonstrate if the module in which the crew is housed can separate from the rest of the spacecraft and rocket in cases of emergency, and keep the astronauts inside safe.

Also read: Gaganyaan: How ISRO's astronauts are training hard for spaceflight

As the countdown to this test begins, here’s a behind the scenes look at what’s being done for the monumental journey.

The Gaganyaan Mission test flight will take place between 7 am to 9 am. The test will demonstrate the safety of the vehicle for the human space flight mission in future. The 21 October test will be followed by three more test vehicle missions, said ISRO chairman S Somanath. Image Courtesy: @ISRO/X

The test exercise will see the rocket rise to an altitude of almost 17 km before an abort signal is triggered, leading to the separation of the crew module, which will descend using a parachute for a splashdown in the Bay of Bengal. Image Courtesy: @ISRO/X

For the TV-D1 mission, ISRO will use a low-cost basic rocket it has built specifically to test systems. The government has allocated an estimated budget of Rs 9000 crore for the Gaganyaan mission. Image Courtesy: @ISRO/X

A view of the crew module, which will eventually separate from the system. The only previous test flight of the crew module — called the Crew module Atmospheric Re-Entry Experiment or CARE — was carried out in 2014. Image Courtesy: @ISRO/X

The crew module must be safe for astronauts under conditions of very high heat and pressure. ISRO is developing environmental control and life support systems for the crew module, as well as an integrated vehicle health management system which can sense anomalies that could put the life of an astronaut at risk, and trigger actions to abort the mission. Image Courtesy: @ISRO/X

India’s ambitious and first human space flight – the Gaganyaan Mission will be launched with a crew of three members to an orbit of 400 km for three days scheduled for late 2024 or early 2025. Image Courtesy: @ISRO/X