Stalin lauds ISRO for Gaganyaan test flight success

The space agency successfully launched a test vehicle carrying the crew module and crew escape system that would be used in the eventual human spaceflight mission.

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday lauded ISRO for successfully conducting a test flight of the Gaganyaan human space flight programme.

The space agency on Saturday successfully launched a test vehicle carrying the crew module and crew escape system that would be used in the eventual human spaceflight mission.

The achievement marks a significant milestone in India's journey to space exploration, Stalin said in a post on social media platform X.

"Congratulations to @isro on the successful #Gaganyaan TV-D1 test flight! This achievement marks a significant milestone on (sic) India's journey to space exploration. Kudos to the entire team for their dedication and hard work. #ISRO," he said.

Scientists at ISRO simulated an abort situation for the Crew Escape System (CES) to carry the Crew Module out of test vehicle TV-D1, which then made a splash into the Bay of Bengal with planned precision.

The Crew Module (CM) is where the astronauts would be contained in pressurised Earth-like atmospheric conditions during the Gaganyaan mission. For TV-D1, the CM was an unpressurised version, ISRO said. The Navy was slated to recover it from the sea and take it Chennai port, officials said.