Why in the News?

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is preparing to launch its first-ever test flight, TV-D1, for the Gaganyaan mission, marking a watershed moment in the country's pursuit of human spaceflight.

About the TV-D1 Mission:

• Test Vehicle Abort Mission-1 (TV-D1) will assess the crew module's readiness for the Gaganyaan mission.
• It is a single-stage liquid rocket designed specifically for this abort mission.
• The payloads include the Crew Module (CM) and Crew Escape Systems (CES) with their fast-acting solid motors, as well as the CM fairing (CMF) and Interface Adapters.
• This flight will simulate the abort condition encountered during the Gaganyaan mission's ascent trajectory, which corresponds to a Mach number of 1.2.
• The Crew Escape System is designed to operate automatically at various altitudes if the onboard computer detects any problems.