🛡️ Crew Escape System Tests – Gaganyaan

The Crew Escape System (CES) is a critical safety mechanism designed to rapidly separate the crew module from the launch vehicle in the event of an emergency during ascent. ISRO has conducted a series of tests to validate the performance and reliability of the CES, ensuring astronaut safety for the Gaganyaan mission.

🚀 Pad Abort Test (PAT) – July 5, 2018

• Objective: To demonstrate the CES’s ability to safely pull the crew module away from the launch pad in case of an emergency before liftoff.
• Test Details: The CES, along with a simulated crew module weighing 12.6 tonnes, was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
• Performance: The system reached an altitude of 2.75 km and safely landed in the Bay of Bengal, approximately 2.9 km from the launch site, after a flight duration of 259 seconds.
• Outcome: The test validated the CES’s functionality during pad abort scenarios, marking a significant milestone in India’s human spaceflight program. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

🚀 Test Vehicle Abort Mission-1 (TV-D1) – October 21, 2023

• Objective: To assess the CES’s performance during an in-flight abort scenario at transonic speeds (Mach 1.2).
• Test Details: A single-stage liquid-propelled test vehicle carried an unpressurized crew module and the CES to an altitude of approximately 17 km.
• Performance: The CES successfully separated the crew module from the launch vehicle, and the module deployed its parachutes, landing safely in the Bay of Bengal about 10 km from the coast.
• Outcome: The test demonstrated the CES’s effectiveness during in-flight emergencies, further validating the system’s readiness for crewed missions. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}

These tests are crucial steps in ensuring the safety and success of India’s first human spaceflight mission. The CES’s proven performance provides confidence in its ability to protect astronauts during critical phases of the mission.