The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Sunday shared the onboard video of the Gaganyaan TV-D1 test vehicle that the Indian space agency launched successfully on Saturday

The video captured by the onboard camera showed moments of engine ignition, crew module separation, apex cover separation, and main chute deployment.

ISRO successfully conducted the first test flight of the ‘TV-D1’ (Test Vehicle Development Flight 1) in the Gaganyaan Mission from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota after it was aborted at 8:45 am today due to a problem in the engine ignition.

The crew escape system successfully separated the crew module from the launch vehicle. After descending using parachutes, it splashed down successfully in the Bay of Bengal. And then the Indian Navy successfully recovered the crew module.

ISRO Chief Somanath informed that the purpose of this mission was to demonstrate the crew escape system.

“I am very happy to announce the successful accomplishment of the TV-D1 mission. The purpose of this mission was to demonstrate the crew escape system for the Gaganyaan program through a test vehicle demonstration in which the vehicle went up to a Mach number, which is slightly above the speed of sound, and initiated an abort condition for the crew escape system to function,” he said.

The mission objectives of the TV-D1 launch were flight demonstration and evaluation of Test Vehicle subsystems; flight demonstration and evaluation of the crew escape system, including various separation systems; crew module characteristics; and deceleration system demonstration at higher altitudes and its recovery.

The Test Vehicle is a single-stage liquid rocket developed for this abort mission. The payloads consist of the Crew Module (CM) and Crew Escape Systems (CES) with their fast-acting solid motors, along with CM fairing (CMF) and Interface Adapters.

This flight simulated the abort condition during the ascent trajectory, corresponding to a Mach number of 1.2 encountered in the Gaganyaan mission. This mission represents a significant milestone in India’s effort to demonstrate that it is possible to send humans into space.

The Gaganyaan project envisages a demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of three members into an orbit of 400 km for a 3-day mission and bringing them safely back to earth by landing in Indian waters.

This program will make India the fourth nation to launch a manned spaceflight mission after the US, Russia, and China.