GAGANYAAN MISSION EXPLAINED

Why In News?

ISRO successfully conducted the first ground static test of the Sub-Orbital Launch Vehicle for Experiments (SOLVE) solid motor, validating crucial safety parameters.  

What is the Gaganyaan Mission?

Gaganyaan is India's first human spaceflight mission, deploying a crew of three Gaganyatris into a 400 km Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for a three-day mission and returning them safely via a sea splashdown.

• ISRO develops the project to elevate India from a commercial satellite launcher to a sustained human space exploration power. 

Objectives

• Demonstrate human spaceflight capability safely and independently.
• Develop indigenous crew safety systems, including life support and emergency escape mechanisms.
• Strengthen advanced space technologies to fuel domestic aerospace manufacturing (Source: Department of Space).
• Enhance India's global space standing, positioning India as the fourth nation to launch an independent human spaceflight mission.

What is SOLVE?

Sub-Orbital Launch Vehicle for Experiments (SOLVE)

SOLVE acts as a compact, solid-motor test platform specifically engineered to execute Integrated Parachute Tests for the Gaganyaan programme.

ISRO modifies the solid stage from the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) strap-on motor, incorporating a slow burn-rate propellant and a straight nozzle with secondary injection thrust vector control.

Role in Crew Safety Validation

Crew Module Recovery Systems: The vehicle carries the Crew Module to an altitude of 10 to 17 km to simulate atmospheric re-entry.

Parachute Deployment Mechanisms: The platform initiates the deployment of a 10-parachute sequence, verifying the deceleration system's structural stability before splashdown.

Deceleration Technologies: The tests validate the transition from free-fall velocities to safe landing speeds under various extreme mission conditions.

Human-Rated Mission Safety Systems: The vehicle provides immense operational flexibility, ensuring that safety systems endure worst-case scenarios without risking the actual heavy-lift rocket.

What are the Key Components of the Gaganyaan Mission?

Crew Module: The Crew Module operates as a fully autonomous, 5.3-tonne habitat featuring an Earth-like pressurized environment, human-centric interfaces, and an apex cover housing redundant parachute systems.

Service Module: The Service Module weighs 2.9 tonnes and houses the Service Module Propulsion System (SMPS), equipped with liquid apogee motors and reaction control thrusters to perform orbit circularization and attitude control.

Human-Rated Launch Vehicle: The HLVM3 (Human-Rated LVM3) features a three-stage propulsion core (solid, liquid, cryogenic) modified with advanced safety parameters, capping acceleration at 4 Gs to guarantee astronaut comfort.

Crew Escape System: The Crew Escape System (CES) integrates five quick-acting solid motors designed to instantly propel the Crew Module away from the launch vehicle during pad or mid-flight emergencies.

Source: THEHINDU