February 19, New Delhi: A qualification-level load test of the drogue parachute for India's Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission was successfully conducted at the Rail Track Rocket Sled facility of the Terminal Ballistic Range Laboratory in Chandigarh, under the auspices of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
The test was carried out jointly by teams from the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (ISRO), the Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment, and DRDO. Officials stated that the successful trial validates the parachute's performance under high-load conditions, which is a critical requirement for the safe recovery of the Gaganyaan crew module.