Gaganyaan: ISRO completes key test ahead of first unmanned mission
The Gaganyaan mission envisages demonstrating human spaceflight capabilities by launching a three-member crew into a 400 km orbit for a three-day mission and returning it safely to Earth by landing in the waters of the Indian Sea. | Photo credit: FILE PHOTO
Ahead of the first unmanned Gaganyaan (G1) mission to be launched this year, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has completed a series of crew module (CM) and service module (SM) separation tests for the Gaganyaan mission.
The Gaganyaan Orbital Module contains the CM and SM, which are connected by a separation system.
Electrical and fluid service between the CM and SM is provided through connecting wires. These modules are integrated prior to launch and function as one integrated module from launch to completion of the in-orbit phase of the mission.
The CM separates from the SM before beginning re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.
Separation of the CM from the SM involves several precisely sequenced separation events involving pyrotechnic devices and launch systems.
ISRO said that to verify the overall adequacy of the separation system design, a test setup was conducted at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram to simulate the overall CM-SM assembly with extensive equipment.
“The tests simulated a CM-SM separation scenario involving the disruption of several umbilical connections between the CM and SM. In addition to verifying the design suitability of the overall CM-SM separation systems, these tests also demonstrated the robustness and ability to survive shocks to various critical subsystems in the CM,” the space agency said.
These include various avionics systems, inertial navigation systems, an aft thermal protection system and conical heat shield, a retractable crew module umbilical shield, as well as crew module uprighting system pyrotechnics and a temperature and humidity control system.
ISRO said this test provides the necessary confidence in the functioning of the implemented CM-SM separation system for the upcoming G1 mission.
The Gaganyaan mission envisages demonstrating human spaceflight capabilities by launching a three-member crew into a 400 km orbit for a three-day mission and returning it safely to Earth by landing in the waters of the Indian Sea.
Published – 16 Oct 2026 19:48 IST