ISRO on Wednesday announced that it has commenced the assembly of the Human-Rated Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (HLVM3) for Gaganyaan’s first uncrewed flight at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
The Bengaluru-based space agency called it a major step towards India's maiden human spaceflight and future space ambitions.
The event coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3-X/CARE (Crew module Atmospheric Reentry Experiment)) mission, conducted on December 18, 2014.
According to a statement by ISRO, the human-rating of LVM3 has been completed and all systems have been tested for enhanced reliability. Ground tests and flight tests in off-nominal conditions have ensured the performance of these systems in line with human safety requirements.
The addition of the highly reliable Crew Escape System (CES) has further increased confidence for the manned missions planned by ISRO. Escape provision exists for the crew during all phases of ascent till injection of the module into orbit.
HLVM3 is a three stage vehicle with a payload capacity of about 10 tonnes to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), which is 53 meters tall and weighs 640 tonnes.
"The Crew Module designed with enhanced safety margins and multiple redundancies, will fly aboard the Human-rated LVM3, ensuring the safety of the Gaganyatris. The data gained through the un-crewed flights will be instrumental for the success of the manned missions," it stated.
Further, the experience from Gaganyaan programme will play a vital role in the construction and operationalisation of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS). This ambitious endeavour reflects ISRO's long-term vision and foresight to leverage established heritage for advancing India's space sector," it added.
"At 8.45 am on December 18, 2024 at SDSC, the stacking of the nozzle end segment with full flex seal nozzle of the S200 motor took place, thus commencing the official launch campaign of the HLVM3-G1/OM-1 mission," it stated.
The space agency said the preparation of both the S200 motors will now take place with the assembly of segments, control systems and avionics. L110 and C32 stages for the HLVM3 are ready at the launch complex. The crew escape systems elements are also received at SDSC.
"The integration of crew module is happening at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) and the integration of Service Module at URSC. The Orbital Module (OM) level integration and tests will take place subsequently at URSC, Bangalore," it stated.
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