Successful accomplishment of Drogue Parachute Deployment Tests for Gaganyaan
Bengaluru, December 20, 2025. ISRO has successfully completed a series of qualification tests for Drogue Parachutes for the development of deceleration system of Gaganyaan Crew Module at the Rail Track Rocket Sled (RTRS) facility of the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL), Chandigarh, during December 18-19, 2025.
The deceleration system of Gaganyaan Crew Module comprises of a total of 10 parachutes of 4 types. The descent sequence begins with two apex cover separation parachutes that remove the protective cover of the parachute compartment, followed by two drogue parachutes that stabilize and decelerate the module. Upon release of the drogues, three pilot parachutes are deployed to extract three main parachutes, which further slow down the Crew Module to ensure a safe touchdown.
A crucial component of this system is the deployment of drogue parachutes, which play a pivotal role in stabilizing the Crew Module and also reducing its velocity to a safe level during re-entry.
The objective of this specific test series was to rigorously evaluate the performance and reliability of the drogue parachutes under extreme conditions. Both the RTRS tests on drogue parachutes were successfully conducted on December 18 & 19, 2025 achieving all the test objectives and confirming their robustness even under the situation of significant variation in flight conditions.
The successful completion of these tests marks another significant step toward qualifying the parachute system for human spaceflight, with active support and participation from the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), ISRO, Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), DRDO and Terminal Ballistic Research Laboratory (TBRL), DRDO.
