being built at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC), the vehicle is expected to be ready by the end of this year and ISRO is planning at least one flight before the proposed unmanned mission in mid-2022.
VSSC Director S Somnath: told TOI: “… the design work at CES has been completed and all the reviews have been completed. Most of the systems of the test vehicle have been realized and the vehicle is in the integration stage and should be ready by the end of this year. The entire CES has to be tested a few times before being put into unmanned flight.
ISRO Chairman Siwan Said that the new vehicle will be used to ensure that there is a flawless mechanism for the crew’s escape, which is a very important aspect of Gaganyaan as it prevents any emergency during the travel or stay of the astronauts. helps to cope.
As first reported by TOI last year, the vehicle is designed for in-flight escape of the crew. The propulsion will be on top of the crew module so that it can lift the module and pull the crew away and move them to a safe location.
“We are looking at at least one test vehicle mission before a no-crew mission. The vehicle is for testing an abort. During flight, we may need to perform abort at various stages, such as high dynamic pressure, critical flight incidents, etc. The test vehicle will be used to test the abort until the first stage of flight. It will not go into orbit,” Sivan explained.
Crew Module and GSLV-Mk3
Apart from CES and the test vehicle, VSSC is responsible for GSLV-Mk3 – the launch vehicle used for Gaganyaan – and some elements of the crew module.
“All the design work on the launch vehicle has been completed and we have started the testing. The L110 and C25 engines have completed first-stage testing and further testing will continue. The S-200 solid booster is being prepared for a static test and we should be ready for that soon. Total qualification work is going on. There’s a lot of activity: the whole electronics is being revamped, we’re adding a high degree of redundancy. The health management of vehicle system design is complete. Prototyping and testing will start soon,” Somnath said.
Sivan explained that the VSSC is also responsible for the structural design of the crew module, all the systems inside the module – avionics, control systems, computers, sensors, etc – and the service module will be built by the UR Rao satellite. centers (URSAC), while many centers will contribute to the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS).
“For the ECLSS, which is a very important part of the Crew Module, LPSC (liquid propulsion systems center) will have a great responsibility. They will manufacture the pressure control system, while VSSC will manufacture the thermal control system and sac (Space Applications Centre) will develop the crew display, equipment etc,” Sivan said.
He said the design phase of the crew module has been completed and various centers have started manufacturing the system.
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