Gaganyaan Update: ISRO Completes IADT-02 — Crew Module Dropped from 3km, Acing Sea Recovery Test

📌 Summary:

• ISRO successfully conducted the second Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-02) for the Gaganyaan mission at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota

• A simulated Crew Module weighing ~5.7 tonnes (equivalent to G1 uncrewed mission mass) was lifted by an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter to ~3 km altitude and released over a sea drop zone near Sriharikota coast

• The test validated the parachute deceleration system, crew module structural integrity on water impact, and the Indian Navy's sea recovery protocol

• Gaganyaan mission overview: India's first human spaceflight programme; G1 (uncrewed) → G2 (uncrewed with humanoid Vyommitra) → G3 (crewed with 3 astronauts) sequence; target orbit: 400 km LEO, 3-day mission

• IADT-02 is critical because it simulates the return phase — when the Crew Module separates from the Service Module and re-enters Earth's atmosphere at 8 km/s, with parachutes deploying for final deceleration before sea splashdown

• Key components tested: Main parachute canopy, drogue parachutes, pilot parachutes, altimeter-based deployment sequencing, flotation bladders for sea recovery

• IADT-01 was conducted in May 2023; IADT-02 updates include improved parachute packing and deployment initiation at lower altitude for higher fidelity

• G1 launch remains pending; ISRO has not confirmed exact date but targeting late 2026; Gaganyaan astronauts (Group Captain Prashanth Nair and 3 others) have completed training in Russia and India