ISRO joins hands with Indian Navy to conduct recovery trials for Gaganyaan Mission

The Indian Space Research Organisation and the Indian Navy have come together to push forward the Gaganyaan mission as India prepares to send astronauts into space. Isro along with the Indian Navy carried out the initial recovery trials of the crew module that will splash down in the ocean after re-entering Earth's atmosphere from space.

 

The initial recovery trials were conducted in the Water Survival Test Facility (WSTF) of the Indian Navy, at Kochi, as part of the preparation for crew module recovery operations for the Gaganyaan mission. The recovery mission will be carried out in Indian waters and led by the Navy.

 

 

The Water Survival Test Facility is a state-of-the-art facility of the Indian Navy that provides realistic training of aircrew for escape from a ditched aircraft under varied simulated conditions and crash scenarios. It simulates different sea state conditions, environmental conditions, and day/night conditions, making it optimal for crew recovery trials.

 

 

 

 

As part of the trial, a Crew Module Recovery Model (CMRM) with a similar mass, center of gravity, outer dimensions, and externals of the actual crew module was used. The sequence of operations required for the recovery of the crew module was carried out as part of the trials.

 

 

"As the safe recovery of the crew is the final step to be accomplished for any successful human spaceflight, it is of paramount importance and it has to be carried out with the minimum lapse of time. Hence, the recovery procedures for various scenarios need to be extensively practiced by carrying out a large number of trials," Isro said in a statement.

 

 

The Indian space agency is hopeful that the trials will lead to the finalisation of the Standard Operating Procedures (SoP) for the recovery of the crew and crew module during the mission. The recovery trials are to be initially carried out in a closed pool followed by trials in a harbor and then in the open sea.

 

 

While the initial trial has been conducted in a closed pool, different phases of recovery trials starting with the recovery of the Crew module to the flight crew training are planned at the Navy's facility.

 

 

"These trials assist in validating the SoP, and training recovery teams as well as the flight crew. They provide valuable inputs for the utilization of recovery accessories. The feedback from the recovery team/trainers helps improve the recovery operations SoP, design various recovery accessories, and finalize the training plan," Isro added.