Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) completes second integrated air drop test for Gaganyaan crew module

Exam-focused facts from the 13 April 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully carried out the second integrated air drop test (IADT-02) for its Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
The test focused on validating the recovery mechanism of the crew module, ensuring safe astronaut return during re-entry and landing.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh congratulated ISRO on the achievement, noting Gaganyaan is scheduled for next year.
The first integrated air drop test was conducted on 24 August 2025 at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
During the first test, a 4.8-tonne dummy crew module was dropped from a Chinook helicopter at an altitude of three kilometres and descended safely via a parachute system of 10 parachutes.