The primary goal of the Gaganyaan mission is to showcase India’s technological capabilities in human spaceflight and lay the groundwork for future manned missions. It encompasses various crucial aspects such as crew selection and training, spacecraft development, launch vehicle preparation, and mission operations. Gaganyaan signifies a significant achievement in India’s space exploration journey, highlighting the country’s expertise in space science and technology.
Moreover, India’s progress in space exploration gained momentum with the joint release of the Gaganyaan Recovery Training Plan by the Indian Navy and ISRO at the Water Survival Training Facility (WSTF) INS Garuda in Kochi. Vice Admiral Atul Anand, Director General of Naval Operations, Dr. Unnikrishnan Nair, Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), and Dr. Umamaheshwaran R, Director of the Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) of ISRO, jointly unveiled the training document.
This training document outlines the plan for the recovery of the Crew Module of the Gaganyaan mission. It specifies the overall requirements for training various teams involved in recovery operations, including divers, MARCOs, medical specialists, communicators, technicians, and naval aviators. The recovery training will be conducted in incremental phases, starting from unmanned recovery and progressing to manned recovery training in both harbor and open sea conditions. The Indian Navy is coordinating the recovery operations with other government agencies.
The Crew Module Recovery Model was officially handed over to the Indian Navy at the state-of-the-art Water Survival Training Facility (WSTF) at INS Garuda, Kochi. This simulated mockup, representing the mass and shape of the module, will be used for familiarization and training of the Gaganyaan recovery teams. The Indian Navy will also support ISRO by conducting a series of trials to refine the Standard Operating Procedures for training the crew and recovery teams of the Gaganyaan mission.