Indian space agency successfully conducted the Rail Track Rocket Sled deployment tests of the Gaganyaan Pilot and Apex Cover Separation (ACS) parachutes in cluster configurations, said Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
According to ISRO, the tests were carried out at the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL), Chandigarh, on March 1 and 3, 2023. Gaganyaan is the name for India's first human space mission.
The Indian space agency said, the first test simulated the clustered deployment of two pilot parachutes. One parachute was subjected to a minimum angle with respect to flow conditions and the second parachute was subjected to a maximum angle with respect to flow.
These pilot parachutes are used in the Gaganyaan mission to extract and deploy the main parachutes independently. The second test simulated the clustered deployment of two ACS parachutes under maximum dynamic pressure conditions.
"The test also simulated clustered deployment at a 90-degree angle of attack conditions for the crew module. The ACS parachutes are used in the Gaganyaan mission for the separation of the apex cover mounted on the Crew Module.
Both pilot and ACS parachutes were deployed using a pyrotechnic mortar device," ISRO said. The Gaganyaan parachute system development has been a joint effort by Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram and Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), Agra.