ISRO schedules TV-D1 test flight for 21st October 2023, to take place at SDSC SHAR between 7 am – 9 am
ISRO and its pursuits are always working towards new milestones. This year saw ISRO successfully launch the Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya L-1. You can check our coverage of the same here.
In the latest proceedings, ISRO has scheduled the test flight of the Test Vehicle Abort Mission-1 (TV-D1), for October 21, 2023, between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. The TV-D1 is a high-altitude abort test, which is a part of the Gaganyaan program. The test will take place at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR (SDSC SHAR).
Mission Gaganyaan:
The TV-D1 test flight is scheduled for
🗓️October 21, 2023
🕛between 7 am and 9 am
🚩from SDSC-SHAR, Sriharikota #Gaganyaan pic.twitter.com/7NbMC4YdYD— ISRO (@isro) October 16, 2023
The TV-D1 is the first development flight to function under the Gaganyaan program.
The objective of the TV-D1: The TV-D1 will be launched at a height of 11 km from the sea level. A rocket lies on the GSLV L40 stage. At a height of 11 km, an in-flight abort scenario will be attempted. The mission of the abort scenario would aim for the capsule to fly 15-16 km. The mission will check the separation from the rocket and whether its trajectory is maintained until a safe distance and parachute deployment.
ISRO has planned to use an unpressurized crew model (CM) for the TV-D1. The capsule in discussion would be of the same mass as the crewed version. The unpressurized CM would be synonymous in terms of the actual mass of the Gaganyaan CM. It would include all the systems required for the abort scenario. This includes parachutes, recovery aids, actuation systems, and pyros.
The mission will be monitored by the team at Sriharikota.
The successful completion of the TV-D1 will put India in the fourth position, in regards to this technology. Russia, the United States, and China are the other three countries that have already mastered it.
It is to be noted that, ISRO has planned the first orbital test flight of the Gaganyaan-1 for 2024.
