USA: Gaganyaan piloted and Apex Cover Separation (ACS) parachutes were deployed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) using rail track rocket sled deployment tests.
The tests were conducted on March 1 and 3 at Chandigarh's Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL). The space agency, along with the Indian Navy, had last month conducted a crew module water survival test.
The Gaganyaan mission is notable as it is India's first manned space mission. It is expected to be launched in 2024. A three-person crew will be launched on this mission to spend three days in an orbit with a diameter of 400 km. One module will land in the waters of the Indian Ocean, returning the crew to Earth.
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According to an ISRO statement, the first test simulated the clustered deployment of two piloted parachute systems. In terms of flow conditions, one parachute was under minimum angle, and the other was under maximum angle. According to ISRO, the Gaganyaan mission uses an ACS parachute to separate the top cover on the crew module.
In the second test, two ACS parachutes were deployed in a cluster under conditions of maximum dynamic pressure. Additionally, a "cluster deployment at an angle of 90° to the attack position for the crew module" was simulated during the test.
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The crew module was equipped with an ACS parachute, which was used to separate the apex cover. A pyrotechnic mortar was used to deploy the pilot and ACS parachute.
The Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE) in Agra and the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC) in Trivandrum have jointly developed the parachute system for the Gaganyaan mission.
Last week, the Indian Navy and ISRO conducted another important test for the Gaganyaan mission. The Indian Navy's Water Survival Test Facility (WSTF) in Kochi carried out recovery trials of the Crew Module, which will house the astronauts.
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The tests were carried out as part of the preparation for the crew module recovery operation that would take place in Indian waters.