Gaganyaan milestone: DRDO conducts successful drogue parachute qualification test at Chandigarh

NEW DELHI: India’s human spaceflight programme marked a significant milestone after the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted a qualification-level load test of the drogue parachute for the Gaganyaan mission.The test was carried out on Thursday at the Rail Track Rocket Sled (RTRS) facility of DRDO’s Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory in Chandigarh. The RTRS is a specialised dynamic testing facility used extensively for high-speed aerodynamic and ballistic evaluations, as reported by news agency ANI. The trial was conducted jointly by teams from Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) under ISRO, Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), DRDO, along with dedicated teams from TBRL.According to officials, the dynamic test simulated qualification level loads that are higher than the maximum loads expected during an actual flight. This demonstrates an additional design safety margin for the parachute system.The successful test confirms India’s capability in designing and manufacturing high-strength ribbon parachutes, which play a critical role in ensuring the safe descent and recovery of crew modules during human space missions.