ISRO successfully carries out flight test for Crew Escape System
Indian Space Research Organization today successfully carried out a flight-test for a newly-designed Crew Escape System. ISRO said it was the first in a series of tests to ascertain the trustworthiness of the system. The system is an emergency measure designed to quickly pull the crew module along with astronauts to a safe distance away from the launch vehicle if the mission gets aborted.
First test for safe recovery of crew module in exigency
The first "Pad Abort Test" demonstrated the safe recovery of the crew module in case of any exigency at the launch pad, the ISRO said. After a smooth five-hour countdown, the Crew Escape System along with the simulated crew module lifted off at 7.00am from its pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh today, it said.
Test was over in 259 seconds
The test was over in 259 seconds, during which the Escape System and the module soared skyward, before arching out over the Bay of Bengal and floating back to Earth using its parachutes, about 2.9 km from Sriharikota.
Test carried out successfully, as expected: ISRO
The ISRO has already conducted technology demonstrator tests of indigenously made Reusable Launch Vehicle, capable of launching satellites into orbit around Earth and then re-entering the atmosphere. The agency said the crew module reached an altitude of nearly 2.7 km under the power of its seven specifically designed quick-acting solid motors to take it away to a safe distance without exceeding the safe g-levels.
300 sensors recorded mission performance parameters
Nearly 300 sensors recorded various mission performance parameters during the test flight, the ISRO said, adding that three boats are being readied to retrieve the module as part of the recovery protocol.
