ISRO scientists working at breakneck speed to meet Gaganyaan mission launch deadline
NEW DELHI: Scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) are hard at work to get all the systems in place, including a human-rated launch vehicle, crew and service modules, a crew escape system, and the environment control and life support systems (ECLSS), to meet the launch timeline of the Gaganyaan mission slated for late 2022 or early 2023, according to people familiar with the matter at the space station.
The Gaganyaan mission -India’s first manned space flight -- aims to carry three crew members to an orbit about 400km above the earth for five to seven days, and get them back safely.
The mission plans to use the newly operationalized GSLV MKIII launch vehicle that carried Chandrayaan-2. The vehicle has undergone a redesign to become “human rated”, or get enough systems and redundancies built in so that it is safe to carry humans, rather than just satellites.
A key element to making the launch vehicle safe for travel of humans is to create a crew escape system (escape from the crew module in case of emergency) and pad abort system (to stop the flight on the launch pad in case of an emergency).
The design of the escape system has been finalised with five “quick-acting” solid fuel motors with a high burn rate propulsion system, and fins to maintain stability. The crew escape system will separate from the crew module by firing explosive nuts.
The space agency has also finalised the configuration of a human metabolic simulator that will mimic the crew’s heat release, breathing, and sweating patterns, to check the working of the ECLSS systems during the unmanned flight.