ISRO Successfully Conducts IADT-02 Test for Gaganyaan mission Ahead of Human Flight

A major milestone has been achieved by India towards its maiden human space flight. The Indian Space Research Organization has successfully conducted the IADT-02, which is the second Integrated Air Drop Test for the Gaganyaan mission. The experiment took place on Friday at the Satish Dhawan Space Station located in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

The experiment assessed the reliability of the Gaganyaan Parachute System, whose main role is to guarantee the safety of astronauts during descent back to earth. Previously, the IADT-01 was conducted on August 24, 2025, at the Satish Dhawan Space Station in Sriharikota.

The parachute system is key in ensuring safe recovery of the capsule (crew module) carrying astronauts during their re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere and landing. Union Minister Jitendra Singh posted on X, "Congratulations to ISRO on the successful test of IAD-02 for India's first human spaceflight, Gaganyaan, scheduled for next year."

The purpose of this test was to see if the system functions properly in case of a flight malfunction and the mission has to be aborted (called a 'mission abort'). The Gaganyaan mission will send three astronauts to a low-Earth orbit of 400 kilometers, followed by a safe return to Earth. This will be India's first human spaceflight mission.

For the test, an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter carried a dummy crew module weighing approximately 5.7 tons to an altitude of approximately three kilometers above the Sriharikota coast and dropped it at a designated location in the sea off the Sriharikota coast. This dummy crew module weighed the same as the crew module in the first unmanned Gaganyaan mission (G1). In IADT-01, a 4.8-tonne dummy crew module was dropped from a height of three kilometres by a Chinook helicopter. During the crew module's fall, 10 parachutes of four types deployed in precise sequence, gradually reducing the speed for a safe landing.

The dummy crew module was then successfully recovered in coordination with the Indian Navy. The test was a complete success. All parachutes performed as expected and reduced the speed to a safe limit for human life. The Indian Air Force, Indian Navy, and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) participated in the test.