The 630-tonne GSLV Mk III would carry the 3.65 tonne crew module. Pic: ISRO.gov.in The 630-tonne GSLV Mk III would carry the 3.65 tonne crew module. Pic: ISRO.gov.in

ISRO on Thursday successfully tested the atmospheric re-entry of a crew module after its heaviest launch vehicle GSLV Mk-III blasted off from here. This will help the country realise its ambition to send humans into space.

Exactly 5.4 minutes after lift-off at 9.30 AM from the Second Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre here, the module separated from the rocket at an altitude of 126 km and re-entered Earth's atmosphere (about 80 km from sea level), PTI reported.

Sriharikota (AP): ISRO launches India's heaviest rocket GSLV Mark 3 pic.twitter.com/VLtrrMriiX ANI (@ANI_news) December 18, 2014

It descended in a ballistic mode and splashed down into the Bay of Bengal, some 180 km from Indira Point, the southern tip of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The LVM3-X flight with active S200 and L110 propulsion stages and a passive C25 stage with dummy engine, carried CARE (Crew Module Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment) as its payload.

First experimental flight of LVM3 with CARE module successful. pic.twitter.com/1wp1ka0EIo ISRO (@isro) December 18, 2014

Weighing over three tonnes, the 2.7-metre tall cup cake shaped crew module with a diameter of 3.1 metres, which features aluminum alloy internal structure with composite panels and ablative thermal protection systems, was made to safely drop down into the sea by specially-made parachutes from Agra-based DRDO lab Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment.

The experiment also witnessed the largest parachute in action ever made in the country.

The main parachute, which helped the crew module touch the waters at around 7 metre/second speed, was 31 metres in diameter.

Successful launch of GSLV Mk-III is yet another triumph of brilliance & hardwork of our scientists. Congrats to them for the efforts. @isro Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 18, 2014

Soon after the successful test flight, a delighted ISRO Chairman K. Radhakrishnan said, "This was a very significant day in the history of Indian space programme for the development of the advanced launch vehicle that could carry a 4-tonne class of communication satellite into orbit."



