• ISRO has begun the assembly of the Human-rated Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (HLVM3) for the Gaganyaan mission.
• The Gaganyaan mission, set for 2025, will be India's first uncrewed flight under the programme.
• The HLVM3, derived from LVM3, is designed with enhanced reliability for human safety and features a Crew Escape System (CES).
• The Gaganyaan mission aims to make India the fourth country to send humans to space, following Russia, the United States, and China.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has embarked on a significant journey towards the realization of the ambitious Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme. On Wednesday, ISRO initiated the assembly of the Human-rated Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (HLVM3) at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR) in Sriharikota, marking a major stride towards India's maiden human spaceflight and future space ambitions.

The Gaganyaan mission, scheduled for launch in 2025, will be the first uncrewed flight under the programme. The data collected from this mission will be instrumental for the success of future manned missions.The commencement of the assembly process coincides with the 10th anniversary of the  LVM3-X/CARE mission, conducted on December 18, 2014 

ISRO announced, "On the 10th anniversary of LVM3-X/CARE, ISRO begins assembly of HLVM3 for Gaganyaan's first uncrewed flight! A major step toward India's maiden human spaceflight and future space ambitions."

HLVM3: A New Chapter in Space Exploration

The official launch campaign of the HLVM3-G1 / OM-1 mission began with the stacking of the nozzle end segment with a full flex seal nozzle of the S200 motor at 8.45 Hrs on December 18 at SDSC. The LVM3-X, now renamed HLVM3, launched its maiden flight during the 2014 mission and lifted a Crew Module of mass of 3,775 kg (LVM3-X/CARE mission) into a suborbital altitude of 126 km.

The Crew Module was oriented for a favourable re-entry using thrusters and later made a smooth splash down in the Bay of Bengal. It was retrieved by the Indian Coast Guard. The Crew Module was developed as part of pre-project activities of the Human Spaceflight Project, well before the official Gaganyaan project was approved in 2019.

ISRO noted, "It is a fitting coincidence that 10 years later, on the same day, ISRO is gearing up for the first uncrewed mission of Gaganyaan, by commencing the stacking of human-rated LVM3."

Enhanced Safety and Future Prospects

The new HLVM3, derived from LVM3, is designed with enhanced reliability to meet human safety considerations. Importantly, to ensure crew safety it also features a Crew Escape System (CES), which is operational from the launch pad till its separation. The crew can safely eject from the Crew Module in case of an adverse situation.

ISRO stated, "HLVM3 is a three-stage vehicle with a payload capacity of about 10 tonnes to LEO. The vehicle is 53 metres tall and weighs 640 tonnes. The vehicle is getting ready for launch with the Crew Module and associated systems undergoing final checks at ISRO centres."

The LVM3-X/CARE mission's success helped ISRO to shape the human spaceflight programme. The space agency noted that the foundational data provided by the CARE mission was useful in developing the "iterations in the Crew Module design of the Ganganyaan mission, along with subsequent pad abort tests, air-drop tests, and test vehicle flights".

The new Crew Module, designed with enhanced safety margins and multiple redundancies, will fly aboard the Human-rated LVM3, ensuring the safety of the Gaganyatris, ISRO said. Further, the Gaganyaan programme will also play a vital role in the construction and operationalisation of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS).

The Gaganyaan mission is reminiscent of the historical Apollo missions by NASA, which also started with uncrewed flights. The Apollo missions were instrumental in landing the first humans on the moon in 1969. Similarly, the Gaganyaan mission aims to make India the fourth country to send humans to space, following Russia, the United States, and China. The mission signifies a major leap in India's space ambitions, and the successful assembly and launch of the HLVM3 will be a significant milestone in the history of Indian space exploration.