DRDO Conducts Gaganyaan’s Drogue Parachute Test | 20 Feb 2026

Source: PIB

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducts a successful  qualification load test of the Drogue Parachute for Gaganyaan programme at Rail Track Rocket Sled (RTRS) facility of DRDO at Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL), Chandigarh.

• RTRS Capabilities: The RTRS is a highly advanced, dynamic ground-based testing facility used extensively for high-speed aerodynamic and ballistic evaluations.
• Drogue Parachute Significance: This test is crucial for ensuring safe crew module descent and recovery, marking progress toward India’s first human spaceflight mission.
  • It acts as a primary brake to stabilize and decelerate the crew module before the main parachutes open, ensuring the safe splashdown of the astronauts.
  • Testing loads higher than maximum flight conditions demonstrates the parachute’s extra safety margin in design.

Gaganyaan

• About: It is India’s first human spaceflight program, aiming to send a crew of 3 astronauts to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at 400 km for 3 days and return them safely to Earth.
• The mission includes key tests such as Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT), Pad Abort Test (PAT), and Test Vehicle (TV) flights to validate safety systems before the manned mission.
• Mission Phases: Includes unmanned test missions followed by the first manned mission, expected to happen in early 2027.
• Crew training for Gaganyaan: Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap, and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla are India’s Gaganyaan astronaut-designates who have completed training in Russia and are currently undergoing further mission-specific training in India.
• Key Technologies for Crew Safety: The Human-Rated Launch Vehicle (HLVM3), a modified version of ISRO’s LVM3 rocket, is designed to safely carry astronauts to a 400 km Low Earth Orbit using solid, liquid, and cryogenic stages configured for human safety. 

  • HLVM3 includes a Crew Escape System (CES) with high-burn-rate motors to enable safe abort during launch emergencies. 

  • The Orbital Module consists of the Crew Module, which provides a pressurised, Earth-like environment for astronauts and enables safe re-entry, and the Service Module, which supports the mission in orbit with propulsion, power, and thermal control systems.