Gaganyaan mission: ISRO moves 1st solid motor segment to launch complex

New Delhi: In a significant milestone for the Gaganyaan — India’s first human spaceflight mission — the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Friday announced that the first solid motor segment has been moved to the launch complex.

In an important step towards the launch of the first human flight slated for 2026, the motor segment has been moved from the production plant,

“A significant milestone for the Gaganyaan Programme! The first solid motor segment has been moved from the production plant to the launch complex, marking a key step towards the HLVM3 G1 flight. India’s human spaceflight dreams are taking shape!” ISRO said in a post on social media platform X.

Earlier this week, the Indian Navy and ISRO also practised Gaganyaan astronaut capsule out of the sea.

The experts carried out the “Well Deck” recovery trials off the coast of Vishakhapatnam. The Well-deck in a ship can be flooded with water so that boats, landing crafts, and recovered spacecraft can be taken inside to dock within the ship, the agency said.

“This trial is part of the series of recovery trials being carried out by the Indian Navy and ISRO to finalise the SOPs for recovery operations for nominal as well as off-nominal conditions,” ISRO said.

The Gaganyaan mission, led by ISRO will demonstrate India’s capability to conduct crewed space missions.

The Human Rated Launch Vehicle (HLVM3) will play a pivotal role in carrying astronauts into low Earth orbit.

The Gaganyaan spacecraft can carry up to three astronauts, and orbit the Earth at an altitude of 400 kilometers.

Meanwhile, ISRO also successfully conducted the sea-level hot test of the CE20 Cryogenic Engine.

The CE20 engine powers the upper stage of Isro’s LVM3 launch vehicle, which has played a pivotal role in missions like Chandrayaan-2, and Chandrayaan-3. It has also been qualified for the upcoming Gaganyaan human spaceflight project.

–IANS