Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Tests Main Parachutes for Gaganyaan Crew Module

Key facts

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully tested the main parachutes for the Gaganyaan crew module at the Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE) drop zone in Sheopur, Madhya Pradesh.
• The test aimed to qualify the main parachute for structural integrity and design margins under maximum expected load conditions for the first uncrewed Gaganyaan G1 mission.
• A simulated assembly of a single main parachute and a dummy mass was dropped from an altitude of 2.5 km using an Indian Air Force (IAF) IL-76 aircraft.
• The event was the fifth in a series of integrated main parachute airdrop tests (IMAT), specifically designated as IMAT-05.
• The Gaganyaan crew module is equipped with 10 parachutes of four different types: two apex cover separation parachutes, two drogue parachutes, three pilot parachutes, and three main parachutes.