Gaganyaan Mission: ISRO TV-D1 Flight Test On Hold (image-isro.gov.in)
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) faced a major setback on Saturday as the TV-D1 test rocket failed to lift off. “Gaganyaan’s First Flight Test Vehicle Abort Mission-1 (TV-D1) launch has been placed on hold. The next schedule will be announced soon” ISRO chief S Somnath said on Saturday.
The unscrewed vehicle went on “hold” mode just five seconds before the launch at Sriharikota. According to ISRO chief, the engine ignition has not happened in the nominal course, reports ANI.
“We will come back soon after analysing what triggered the automatic launch sequence holding the vehicle,” the ISRO Chief added.
The first unmanned flight test designated as the Test Vehicle Development Flight Mission-1 was supposed to launch at 8:30 am on Saturday. This mission was conducted to demonstrate the performance of the Crew Escape as the part of the Gaganyaan mission. They have also planned to test its safe landing in the Bay of Bengal after the rocket launch.
The test vehicle is aimed at studying the safety of the crew module and crew escape system in bringing Indian astronauts back to Earth in the ambitious Gaganyaan mission.
This mission represents a significant milestone in India’s effort to demonstrate that it is possible to send humans into space. The test flight aims to prove India’s capacity to send humans into a 400-kilometer orbit and safely bring them back to earth.
This mission if becomes successful will make India the fourth nation to launch a manned spaceflight mission after the US, Russia, and China. Building on the success of the Indian space initiatives, including Chandrayan-3 and Aditya L1 Mission, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently directed that India should aim for new and ambitious goals including setting up ‘Bharatiya Antariksha Station’ (Indian Space Station) by 2035 and sending first Indian to the Moon by 2040.
TV-D1 Vehicle, a liquid propelled single stage Test Vehicle used a a modified VIKAS engine with Crew Module (CM) and Crew Escape System (CES) mounted at its fore end.
So far, China was last one to reach space in October 2023 when a Chinese mission spent 21 hours and orbited Earth 14 times.
