ISRO starts assembling HLVM3 for Gaganyaan mission’s 1st un-crewed flight in 2025

New Delhi, Dec 18: Taking a major step towards the ambitious Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Wednesday commenced the stacking of HLVM3, at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR) in Sriharikota. The mission is slated for launch in 2025, and it will be the first un-crewed flight under the ambitious Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme. The data gained will be instrumental for the success of the manned missions.

The date coincides with the 10th anniversary of the LVM3-X/CARE mission, conducted on December 18, 2014. “On the 10th anniversary of LVM3-X/CARE, ISRO begins assembly of HLVM3 for Gaganyaan’s first un-crewed flight! A major step toward India’s maiden human spaceflight and future space ambitions,” ISRO said.

“At 8.45 Hrs on December 18 at SDSC, the stacking of the nozzle end segment with full flex seal nozzle of the S200 motor took place, thus commencing the official launch campaign of the HLVM3-G1 / OM-1 mission,” it added. During the 2014 mission, LVM3-X (which is now christened HLVM3) launched its maiden flight and “lifted a Crew Module of mass of 3,775 kg (LVM3-X/CARE mission) into a suborbital altitude of 126 km”.

Using thrusters it was oriented for a favourable re-entry, and later made a smooth splash down in the Bay of Bengal. It was retrieved by the Indian Coast Guard. The Crew Module was developed as part of pre-project activities of the Human Spaceflight Project, well before the official Gaganyaan project was approved in 2019.

“It is a fitting coincidence that 10 years later, on the same day, ISRO is gearing up for the first un-crewed mission of Gaganyaan, by commencing the stacking of human-rated LVM3,” the ISRO said. Dr. S Somanath, Chairman of ISRO Mission was then the Director of the LVM3-X/CARE mission. The new HLVM3, derived from LVM3, is designed with enhanced reliability to meet human safety considerations. Importantly, to ensure crew safety it also features a Crew Escape System (CES), which is operational from the launch pad till its separation. The crew can safely eject from the Crew Module in case of an adverse situation.

“HLVM3 is a three-stage vehicle with a pay load capacity of about 10 tonnes to LEO. The vehicle is 53 metres tall and weighs 640 tonnes. The vehicle is getting ready for launch with the Crew Module and associated systems undergoing final checks at ISRO centres,” ISRO said. The LVM3-X/CARE mission’s success helped ISRO to shape the human spaceflight programme.

The space agency noted that the foundational data provided by the CARE mission was useful in developing the “iterations in the Crew Module design of the Ganganyaan mission, along with subsequent pad abort tests, air-drop tests, and test vehicle flights”. The new Crew Module, designed with enhanced safety margins and multiple redundancies, will fly aboard the Human-rated LVM3, ensuring the safety of the Gaganyatris, ISRO said. Further, the Gaganyaan programme will also play a vital role in the construction and operationalisation of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS).