ISRO Successfully Tests Crew Safety System, Moves A Step Closer To Human Spaceflight

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully tested the crew escape system today and moved a step closer to its human spaceflight programme.

This is the first in a series of tests required to establish the technology. Crew escape system is a critical technology designed to quickly pull out the crew to a safe distance in case of a launch abort. The first test successfully demonstrated the safe recovery of a crew module in case of an emergency.

The test was conducted at Satish Dhawan Space Center at 7 am and lasted 259 seconds. The module carrying 12.6 tonne payload soared 2.9 km into the sky before parachuting down into the Bay of Bengal. At least 300 sensors recorded various mission performance during the test flight, the ISRO release said.

ISRO has been working on a capsule that can carry two astronauts atop GSLV MK III, according to NASA Spaceflight.com . However, ISRO has still not got the go ahead for a manned mission from the government.