ISRO conducts first air-drop test ahead of Gaganyaan Mission in December

New Delhi: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully conducted its first Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-01). It has marked a significant milestone in preparations for the Gaganyaan Mission, India's maiden human spaceflight programme.

The test was carried out near Sriharikota. It validated the parachute-based deceleration system that is crucial for ensuring the safe re-entry and recovery of astronauts. According to ISRO, the end-to-end demonstration was a joint effort involving the Indian Air Force, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Indian Navy, and the Indian Coast Guard.

ISRO announced the development on the social media platform, X. The post read, "ISRO successfully accomplishes the first Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-01) for an end-to-end demonstration of a parachute-based deceleration system for Gaganyaan missions. This test is a joint effort of ISRO, Indian Air Force, DRDO, Indian Navy, and Indian Coast Guard.”

ISRO chairman V Narayanan said that the first Gaganyaan mission would be without a crew. G1 is scheduled for December this year. The test flight will carry Vyomitra, a half-humanoid robot that is designed to simulate human psychological responses and interactions in space.

Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi, Narayanan said that nearly 80 per cent of the project's tests, around 7,700 in total, have already been completed. The remaining 2,300 are expected to be concluded by March 2026. He also expressed confidence that the mission  is progressing well.

Earlier, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh also briefed Parliament recently. He said that critical systems for the Human Rated Launch Vehicle (HVLM3) have been developed and tested. These include propulsion systems for both the Crew Module and Service Module, the Crew Escape System (CES) and supporting ground infrastructure such as the Gaganyaan Control Centre and crew training facilities.

Singh added that precursor missions like TV-D1 have already validated the Crew Escape System. Further trials TV-D2 and IADT-01 are underway.

Beyond the uncrewed G1 mission, ISRO also plans to conduct its first crewed Gaganyaan flight in 2027. This will be followed by Chandrayaan-4 in 2028, a Venus mission and the ambitious Bharat Antariksh Station by 2035. India has also set its sights on sending an astronaut to the Moon by 2040.