HAL hands over crew module to ISRO for first development launch of Gaganyaan
The CMF is a protective structure that surrounds the actual housing for India's to-be space scientists, built to withstand extreme conditions of heat, pressure and atmospheric friction. It is reported that the structure would be tasked with keeping astronauts safe during the egress, ingress and landing procedures of the Gaganyaan mission.
FollowThe Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Thursday showcased two space equipment built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) that is all set to be used in the first unmanned development launch of India's manned space mission, Gaganyaan.
Announced by the Indian central space agency earlier today, this is the second Crew Module Fairing (CMF) that ISRO has taken delivery of for Gaganyaan.
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The CMF is a protective structure that surrounds the actual housing for India's to-be space scientists, built to withstand extreme conditions of heat, pressure and atmospheric friction. It is reported that the structure would be tasked with keeping astronauts safe during the egress, ingress and landing procedures of the Gaganyaan mission.
Unnikrishnan Nair, the director of ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC), took delivery of the CMF structure, as well as a high-altitude escape motor Thrust-transfer Structure (HTS). The latter will be tasked with firing an escape motor to keep humans aboard the mission safe.
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Earlier in June, ISRO's VSSC also took delivery of the first CMF structure, built by Bengaluru-based Alpha Design Technology Limited. While both the CMF modules are likely to be used in some form, ISRO confirmed that the CMF it received from HAL earlier today would be used in the first trial or development mission of Gaganyaan.
In May 2022, ISRO achieved human spaceflight rating, or validated its solid stage rocket booster for the Gaganyaan mission. The booster was a modified version of the solid rocket booster used in the agency's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV)-Mark III.
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Speaking after the successful launch of ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)'s C-53 mission, S Somanath, chairman of ISRO on June 30 said that the Gaganyaan mission will go through multiple tests and development flights, and the manned mission launch will not happen any time before 2024.
Somanath also added that concerns regarding the safety of astronauts aboard the Gaganyaan crew module can be alleviated by "ruggadising the object, testing it more number of times and introducing intelligence in the rocket so that it can identify problems, and let the aircraft know (how) pilots can escape."
