ISRO Sets Sights On Gaganyaan Readiness With Intensive Tests in 2024

ISRO is gearing up for an intensive series of tests in preparation for its ambitious manned mission, Gaganyaan, in 2024, aiming for readiness by 2025. The agency's Chairman, S Somanath, highlighted plans for 12-14 missions in the upcoming year, with a primary focus on advancing Gaganyaan capabilities. The Gaganyaan mission, initiated with the TV-D1 abort mission in October 2023, will witness at least two more such missions in 2024, totaling three abort mission demonstrations, as reported by PTI. 

Somanath emphasized that these unmanned missions play a crucial role in assessing hardware preparedness. The testing spectrum includes helicopter-based drop tests to validate parachute systems for unmanned missions. Additionally, ISRO plans to conduct launch pad aborts and numerous valuation tests, covering environmental control support systems, crew module tests, and simulation assessments.

In parallel, ISRO has a busy schedule for 2024, including GSLV launches for the NISAR mission and the inaugural flight of GSLV with INSAT-3DS. The second GSLV flight will carry the NASA-ISRO synthetic aperture radar satellite, necessitating multiple GSLV launches. Other missions in the pipeline encompass the NAVIC series, indicating a dynamic and challenging year ahead for the Indian space agency.