ISRO has successfully tested drogue parachutes to help stabilize the crew module and reduce its velocity during re-entry of the Gaganyaan human space flight mission.
Drogue parachutes are utilized to decelerate and stabilize objects in fast moving states. The national space agency stated on Friday that they were successfully executed during August 8-10 at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre’s RTRS facility in Chandigarh.
The tests were carried out in partnership with Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE)/DRDO. The drogue parachutes, enclosed in mortars made of pyro, are purposefully designed to launch them into the sky when necessary. These conical ribbon-type parachiutes, which have a diameter of 5.8 metres, use duct tape or cuffs that cleverly minimize canopy area, mitigating opening shock, and ensuring smooth and controlled descent, as per the ISRO.
The performance and reliability of the drogue parachutes were thoroughly evaluated through three comprehensive tests carried out at the Royal Transport System (RTRS) facility. The first test replicated the maximum reefed load, while the second tested the highest dis-reefed load in a mortar-deployed parachute.
“The drogue parachutes’ successful completion of the RTRS tests is a crucial qualification for the next Test Vehicle-D1 mission,” the statement stated.
Earlier this year, the RTRS tests of Pilot and Apex cover separation parachutes were also conducted, which highlighted the advancement of the Gaganyaan mission’s parachute system. The complex parchute sequence for the crew module’S deceleration system includes 10 parachites.
Two apex cover separation parachutes are deployed at the beginning of the process, and then two drogue parachutees stabilize the aircraft. Once these two components are released, the mission moves on to the extraction phase, where three pilot chutes are each extracted, providing extravagangant safety parachites, which is crucial in reducing the Crew Module’s landing speed to ensure optimum flightsicherheit, according to officials.
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