ISRO Chief Dr. S. Somanath has officially confirmed that the inaugural test flight of the ‘TV-D1’ (Test Vehicle Development Flight 1) is scheduled for Saturday, October 21, as part of the Indian astronaut program, Gaganyaan. He also mentioned that this test flight, TV-D1, will be followed by at least three more tests of a similar nature. The launch is set to take place at approximately 7 am on Saturday, as reported by WION. Dr. Somanath made this announcement while speaking to reporters at the Madurai airport in Tamil Nadu.
In the process of developing a fighter plane, it is essential to demonstrate the mechanism for safely ejecting the pilot(s) mid-flight. Similarly, for astronaut missions, it is critical to validate the mechanism for safely ejecting the crew module (the shell carrying astronauts) when the rocket is mid-flight.
During the TV-D1 mission, the crew module, which will eventually house astronauts, along with associated systems, will be positioned atop a mini-rocket referred to as the Test Vehicle. This mini-rocket uses liquid fuel and is based on the L40 stage booster of the GSLV (formerly GSLV Mk2) rocket. When the necessary conditions are met, typically at Mach 1.2 (or 1.2 times the speed of sound), the Crew Escape System and crew module will detach from the rocket while the vehicle is at an altitude of 17 km.
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