Gaganyaan Mission: ISRO conducts drogue parachute deployment tests

The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre VSSCISRO successfully conducted a series of Drogue Parachute Deployment Tests at the Rail Track Rocket Sled RTRS facility of the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory Chandigarh during August 810 2023 a press statement from ISRO statedThe tests were conducted in collaboration with Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment ADRDEDRDOThe Gaganyaan mission entails the safe transportation of astronauts to space and back A crucial component of this mission is the deployment of drogue parachutes which play a pivotal role in stabilizing the crew module and reducing its velocity to a safe level during reentry the statement readDrogue parachutes packed within pyrobased devices known as mortars are ingeniously designed to eject the parachutes into the air upon command These conical ribbontype parachutes boasting a diameter of 58 meters employ a singlestage reefing mechanism ingeniously minimizing canopy area and mitigating opening shock ensuring a smooth and controlled descent the statement addedDuring the three comprehensive tests conducted at the RTRS facility a range of realworld scenarios were simulated to rigorously evaluate the performance and reliability of the drogue parachutesThe release said that the first test simulated the maximum reefed load marking a groundbreaking introduction of reefing in a mortardeployed parachute within IndiaThe second test emulated the maximum disreefed load while the third test showcased the deployment of the drogue parachute under conditions mirroring the maximum angle of attack experienced by the Crew Module during its mission it addedThese successful RTRS tests serve as a critical qualification milestone for the drogue parachutes confirming their readiness for integration into the upcoming Test VehicleD1 missionNotably earlier this year the RTRS tests of Pilot and Apex cover separation parachutes were also conducted further accentuating the progress of the Gaganyaan missions parachute system developmentThe intricate parachute sequence for the Gaganyaan crew modules deceleration system encompasses a total of 10 parachutes The sequence commences with the deployment of two Apex cover separation parachutes followed by the stabilization achieved through the deployment of two drogue parachutesUpon release of the drogue parachutes the mission transitions into the extraction phase with three Pilot chutes individually extracting three main parachutes a pivotal step in reducing the Crew Modules speed to safe levels for a secure landing the press statement saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever