“Nation ready for next stride in realm of space”: Amit Shah congratulates ISRO on success of ‘TV-D1’ mission

New Delhi [India]: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on the successful accomplishment of the ‘TV-D1’ (Test Vehicle Development Flight 1) in the Gaganyaan Mission and said that the country is ready to take a next big step in the space sector.

In a post on X (former Twitter), Home Minister Amit Shah said, “After the successful launch of the Chandrayaan-3, our nation is ready to take its next giant stride in the realm of space. Today, the ISRO launched Gaganyaan’s TV-D1 Test Flight into space, scripting another remarkable space odyssey. My heartfelt congratulations to our scientists and our citizens on this momentous occasion of success and fulfilment.”

The success of the ISRO’s mission came after a second attempt at launch as it had faced an engine ignition problem at 8:45 am in its initial attempt.

On the occasion, MoS (independent charge) Science & Technology Dr Jitendra Singh also complimented ISRO on the successful Test Vehicle Abort mission.

“Today’s test flight was the first step in the last leg of the Gaganyaan mission. After today, many more test flights will be conducted. The most important is the crew escape system for the safe return of the crew which was also tested today…. Today, India is in a position where we are ready to lead other nations too….” the minister said.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari also congratulated the space agency and said that the success of the test flight reflects the dedication of our scientists.

“Congratulations!! In a momentous step towards the stars, the TV D1 Test Flight for Mission #Gaganyaan has taken off. This historic event reflects the unyielding dedication of our remarkable scientists and the visionary leadership of PM Narendra Modi Ji,” Gadkari posted on X.

“As we push the boundaries of human exploration, each launch paves the way for India’s triumphant journey into the cosmos. Together, we embark on a mission of innovation and discovery,” he added.

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

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