Gaganyaan, India’s human spaceflight mission, has reached a major safety milestone by completing rocket-sled trials at the Rail Track Rocket Sled facility in Chandigarh. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) tested the drogue parachutes that will stabilise and slow the crew module upon re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. Several scenarios, including partial and complete deployments, were tested, and all results confirmed the system’s reliability.

The trial comes after another successful demonstration in Sriharikota, where a 4.8-tonne crew module simulator was dropped from an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter at an altitude of three kilometres. The parachutes deployed in a precise sequence, eventually slowing the module to eight meters per second before splashing down. The Indian Navy then conducted a smooth recovery operation.

The parachutes are made at Hazratpur, Uttar Pradesh, with superior Nylon 66 fabric that can withstand extreme temperatures. Each canopy requires thousands of hours of meticulous craftsmanship, reflecting the level of precision required for human spaceflight. Importantly, all components were developed indigenously, strengthening India’s self-reliance in critical space technologies.

These achievements come as ISRO prepares for the uncrewed Gaganyaan mission in December 2025. The mission will carry the humanoid robot Vyommitra to validate onboard systems before astronauts are sent into orbit.