Welcome to the c/spaceflight Gaganyaan TV-D1 In-flight Abort Test Official Launch Discussion & Updates Thread!

Scheduled for (UTC)	2023-10-21 04:30
Scheduled for (local)	2023-10-21 10:00 (IST)
Launch site	First Launch Pad, Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India
Launch vehicle	modified GSLV L40
Payload	Gaganyaan Test Vehicle
Mission success criteria	Successful test of crew escape system and splashdown of capsule

Livestreams

Stream	Link
ISRO	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=To9_pBpLyP0
Gareeb Scientist	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU6k5fsGkLw

Stats

☑️ 3rd launch of a Gaganyaan test vehicle

☑️ 1st Gaganyaan launch this year

☑️ 8th ISRO launch this year

Mission Info

Official ISRO page

Next Spaceflight

India’s ISRO will conduct an in-flight abort test of its future Gaganyaan crew spacecraft, boosted by a modified GSLV Mk. II liquid fuel booster. The test will ensure that the capsule can safely carry crew away from the launch vehicle in the event of an anomaly.

NSF article

For this flight, an uncrewed Gaganyaan test capsule is to be mounted atop a single L40 booster, derived from the strap-on boosters used on the GSLV Mk. 2 launch vehicle. The rocket carrying the capsule is scheduled to fly to an altitude of around 11 – 17 kilometers before a test abort is called.

Afterward, the launch escape system will be tested, and if all goes as planned, the unpressurized capsule will descend under parachutes to a splashdown in the Bay of Bengal, 10 kilometers from the Sriharikota launch site. This flight will be the first test flight before a crewed launch, with the immediate next step being another abort test, followed by an uncrewed flight of the full vehicle, in the coming months.

Target apogee	17 km
Splashdown location	Bay of Bengal
Payload mass	4520 kg

Please post small launch updates, discussions, and questions here! Also feel free to leave feedback or suggestions for the mod team. We’re still a relatively small sub, so feedback from the community is very valuable!