How the Gaganyaan crew module is built to survive
ISRO explains how the Gaganyaan crew module uses a sphere-cone design, heat-shielding, thrusters, and parachutes to return astronauts safely.
- Gaganyaan is India’s human spaceflight mission and is designed around the Human-rated Launch Vehicle Mark-3.
- The orbital module of Gaganyaan contains a crew module and a service module joined together during flight.
- The service module provides support in orbit and later fires thrusters to de-orbit the vehicle before separation.
- The crew module is intended to survive atmospheric re-entry and splash down safely.
What happened
The Press Information Bureau has published an explainer on Gaganyaan, India’s human spaceflight mission. The note says the mission is built around the Human-rated Launch Vehicle Mark-3, which will place the orbital module into space carrying Indian astronauts.
The orbital module has a crew module and a service module joined together during flight. The service module supports the spacecraft in orbit and later fires its thrusters to de-orbit the vehicle before separation. The crew module is intended to survive re-entry and splash down safely, while the service module burns up.
UPSC may ask about the engineering trade-offs in human spaceflight: heat shielding, aerodynamic stability, structural mass, controlled descent, and recovery after splashdown. The Gaganyaan case links applied physics with India’s indigenous space capability.
