1. Home
  2. Current Affairs
  3. Current News
  4. ISRO Successfully Conducts First Integrated Air Drop Test

ISRO Successfully Conducts First Integrated Air Drop Test

  • 25 Aug 2025

On 24th August 2025, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully completed the first Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-01) at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota.

Key Points

  • Purpose of Test: End-to-end demonstration of the parachute-based deceleration system for safe recovery of the Crew Module.
  • Crew Module Simulation: A 4.8-tonne simulated Crew Module was dropped from 3 km altitude using an IAF Chinook helicopter.
  • Parachute System: Consisted of 10 parachutes – 2 Apex Cover Separation (ACS), 2 Drogue, 3 Pilot, and 3 Main canopies (25 m diameter each).
  • Deceleration Sequence:
    • ACS parachutes deployed first, followed by separation of the apex cover.
    • Drogue parachutes initiated initial deceleration.
    • Pilot parachutes deployed the three Main parachutes, reducing terminal velocity to ~8 m/s.
  • Abort Simulation: Test simulated a possible launch pad abort scenario, with onboard avionics commanding deceleration and transmitting telemetry to ground.
  • Recovery Operation: Post splashdown, the Crew Module was retrieved by INS Anvesha and transported to Chennai port.