ISRO Completes Second Air Drop Test for Gaganyaan Mission

The Indian Space Research Organisation successfully conducted the second Integrated Air Drop Test for its Gaganyaan mission on April 10, 2026, at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The test validated critical parachute systems designed to ensure the safe recovery of the crew module during human spaceflight reentry.

In the IADT02, a simulated crew module weighing 5.7 tonnes, matching the mass of the first uncrewed Gaganyaan flight, was lifted by an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter to an altitude of approximately 3 kilometers. The module was then released over the Bay of Bengal near the Sriharikota coast. During descent, ten parachutes of four types, including apex cover separation, drogue, pilot, and main parachutes, deployed in a precise sequence to reduce velocity for a safe splashdown. The module was subsequently recovered in coordination with the Indian Navy, confirming the performance of the deceleration systems under simulated conditions.

This test builds on the first Integrated Air Drop Test, completed on August 24, 2025, at the same location. That earlier trial involved a 4.8-tonne dummy module dropped from a similar height, where the...