The Gaganyaan Pilot and Apex Cover Separation parachutes have undergone deployment tests using the Rail Track Rocket Sled by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). ISRO reported deploying the Gaganyaan Pilot and Apex Cover Separation parachutes in cluster configurations on the Rail Track Rocket Sled on March 1 and 3 at Chandigarh’s Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL).

ISRO noted that the first test replicated the clustered deployment of two pilot parachutes. A minimum angle was applied to one parachute in relation to the flow conditions, while a maximum angle was applied to the other parachute.In the Gaganyaan Mission, these pilot parachutes are utilised to autonomously remove and deploy the main parachutes.

In the second test, two ACS parachutes were deployed in a cluster under conditions of maximum dynamic pressure. The crew module’s clustered deployment under conditions of a 90-degree angle-of-attack was also simulated during the test. On the Gaganyaan Mission, the apex cover installed on the crew module is separated using the ACS parachutes. A pyrotechnic mortar device was used to deploy both the pilot and ACS parachutes.

Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), Agra, and VSSC, Thiruvananthapuram, collaborated on the creation of the Gaganyaan parachute system. The Gaganyaan project aims to launch a crew of three people into a 400-kilometer orbit for a three-day mission and safely return them to Earth by making a landing in Indian sea waters. This is a demonstration of human space flight capability. By the end of 2023 or the beginning of 2024, Gaganyaan is expected to conduct its initial unmanned flight testing. A humanoid named Vyom Mitra will subsequently be sent after that, along with the crew.