drdo-completes-successful-gaganyaan-drogue-parachute-test

India’s human spaceflight programme achieved a key milestone with the successful qualification-level load test of the Gaganyaan drogue parachute at the Rail Track Rocket Sled (RTRS) facility of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL), Chandigarh.

The test, conducted on Wednesday, involved teams from DRDO, the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), the Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), and TBRL. The RTRS dynamic test simulated loads higher than the maximum flight conditions to verify the parachute’s design safety margin. The successful test demonstrates India’s capability in designing and manufacturing high-strength ribbon parachutes for crewed space missions.

This achievement follows a series of qualification tests conducted at the same facility during December 18–19, 2025, which evaluated the performance of drogue parachutes under extreme conditions.

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The deceleration system of the Gaganyaan Crew Module comprises ten parachutes of four types, including apex cover separation parachutes, drogues, pilot parachutes, and main parachutes. Drogue parachutes play a critical role in stabilising and slowing the Crew Module during re-entry, ensuring safe deployment of pilot and main parachutes and a secure touchdown.

Both sets of tests confirmed the robustness and reliability of the drogue parachutes under significant variations in flight conditions. The successful completion of these trials marks an important step towards qualifying the parachute system for human spaceflight, with active collaboration among DRDO, ISRO, ADRDE, and VSSC.

Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh commended the teams from DRDO, ISRO, and industry for the successful qualification test, describing it as a major step in realising the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat. Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and DRDO Chairman Dr Samir V Kamat also congratulated the teams for their contribution to this achievement.