Gaganyaan crew module systems
Why in News?
The Gaganyaan Crew Module (CM) is in the news because the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully completed three major qualification tests of its critical safety systems.
Specifications & Structure
- Habitable Space: The Crew Module functions as a spacecraft designed with a double-walled metallic inner structure and an unpressurized outer layer.
- Mass Capacity: It weighs approximately 5.3 tonnes and is shaped like a truncated cone.
- Crew Capacity: It is built to safely house up to three astronauts for a mission duration of up to seven days.
- Internal Environment: The habitat provides a pressurized, Earth-like atmosphere conditioned to 0.8 atm pressure, 22°C temperature, and 45% relative humidity.
- Orbital Integration: The CM sits atop a 2.9-tonne Service Module (SM). Together, they compose the 8.2-tonne Orbital Module.
Key Subsystems of the Crew Module
- Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS): This critical package maintains breathable air, handles waste management, controls internal humidity, and eliminates carbon dioxide and trace contaminants.
- Thermal Protection System (TPS): An exterior shield designed to protect the integrity of the capsule and the crew from extreme frictional heat exceeding tolerance limits during atmospheric re-entry.
- Deceleration System (Parachutes): A redundant matrix utilizing 10 distinct parachutes of four separate types. This includes apex cover separation parachutes, drogue parachutes for stabilization, and pilot/main parachutes to slow the capsule to a safe terminal splashdown speed.
- Crew Escape System (CES): A "lifeboat" mechanism comprised of five quick-acting solid motors. If a catastrophic booster failure occurs during ascent, the CES generates high G-forces to pull the Crew Module rapidly away from the launch vehicle.
Re-entry & Recovery Matrix
- De-orbit Burn & Separation: The Service Module fires its liquid propellant engines to slow the vehicle down before detaching entirely and burning up in the atmosphere.
- Semi-Ballistic Descent: The standalone Crew Module uses localized thrusters to dynamically adjust its lift vector. This guides the module through a precise re-entry corridor toward the designated retrieval landing zone.
- Splashdown Destination: The module is designed to drop safely via parachutes into the Arabian Sea or Indian Ocean, where coordinated Indian naval and space agencies will extract the crew.
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