Gaganyaan Mission: Indian Navy's Elite Team Completes Phase-1 Of Training For Crew Module Recovery

The first batch of crew recovery team of Mission Gaganyaan has completed Phase-1 of their training at Indian Navy's Water Survival Training Facility (WSTF) at Kochi, Kerala.

The team, consisting of Indian Naval Divers and Marine Commandos, underwent recovery training for the crew module in various sea conditions using the state-of-the-art facility.

The two-week training capsule covered a brief on the conduct of the mission conduct, actions to be taken during medical exigencies and, familiarisation with different aircraft and rescue equipment, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Sunday (2 July).

The training also validated the jointly formulated Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) by the Indian Navy and ISRO.

Mohan M, Director of Human Space Flight Centre at ISRO, witnessed the recovery demonstration and interacted with the team on the concluding day.

The trained team from WSTF will now participate in the recovery of test launches planned by ISRO in the coming months.

The Gaganyaan programme aims to demonstrate India’s human spaceflight capability.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the programme in his Independence Day address of 2018.

A three-member crew will be launched to an orbit of 400 km for a three-day mission before being brought back safely down to Earth. They will land at sea in India.

The final launch with Indian astronauts is expected to take place in the fourth quarter of 2024.

India will look to achieve success with its Gaganyaan mission before shifting its focus later towards developing capability for sustained human presence in space.