Isro successfully tests main parachute responsible for Gaganyaan landing

In preparation for India’s historic human spaceflight mission, Isro has successfully finished a crucial main parachute test for the Gaganyaan Crew Module.An important milestone in the sequence of Integrated Main Parachute Airdrop Tests (IMAT) was reached on November 3, 2025, at the Babina Field Firing Range in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh.

The test takes place while Isro prepares for the Gaganyaan Mission’s mainden uncrewed launch, which could happen as early as January 2026. The complicated parachute system of the Gaganyaan Crew Module consists of ten parachutes of four different types that deploy one after the other during descent.

Two drogue parachutes that stabilize and slow the module come after two apex cover separation parachutes that remove the parachute compartment’s protective cover. Three primary parachutes are extracted by three pilot parachutes upon release, significantly lowering the module’s speed to guarantee a safe landing.

Because of the redundancy incorporated into the system, the module can land safely even if only two of the three primary parachutes are fully deployed. In order to confirm the system’s structural integrity and load distribution under asymmetric conditions, Isro simulated an extreme scenario of delayed opening (disreefing) between two primary parachutes. An Indian Air Force IL-76 aircraft was used to drop a test item that mimicked the mass of the Crew Module from a height of 2.5 kilometers.

The robustness of the parachute design for human spaceflight was validated by the flawless execution of the parachute deployment and descent sequence, which produced a stable descent and soft landing.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Indian Air Force, the Indian Army, and Isro’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre worked closely together to conduct this successful test. To guarantee astronaut safety during the Gaganyaan mission’s re-entry and touchdown phase, the parachute system must be validated.

Isro is actively preparing for further tests, including upcoming uncrewed demonstration flights and abort tests, as it advances toward the ambitious goal of launching India’s first crewed orbital mission.

This parachute test brings India one step closer to joining the elite league of countries with independent human spaceflight capability.