Gaganyaan Programme and Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-01)
The Gaganyaan programme is India's ambitious initiative aimed at sending humans to space. A significant milestone has been achieved with the successful completion of the first Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-01) at Sriharikota on August 24, 2025.
Key Highlights of IADT-01
- The test marks a crucial step forward for the Gaganyaan programme, demonstrating the parachute-based crew module deceleration system.
- A 4.8-tonne dummy module was dropped from a height of 3 km from a Chinook helicopter operated by the Indian Air Force.
- The test aimed to validate the deployment and touchdown conditions of the parachute system, which was achieved successfully.
Upcoming Missions and Tests
- Test Vehicle Mission (TV-D2): Described as a "complex mission," it will test the crew escape system under critical conditions.
- Gaganyaan-1 (G1) Flight: An uncrewed mission will be launched aboard a human-rated LVM3 rocket, featuring Vyommitra, the humanoid robot developed by ISRO.
