ISRO Completes Drogue Parachute Tests For Gaganyaan Crew Module

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has completed a series of qualification tests for Drogue Parachutes for the development of the 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.

Sharing the achievement on X, ISRO tweeted, "ISRO successfully completed Drogue Parachute Deployment Qualification Tests for the Gaganyaan Crew Module at the RTRS facility of TBRL, Chandigarh, during 18-19 December 2025. The tests confirmed the performance and reliability of the drogue parachutes under varying flight conditions, marking a key step in qualifying the parachute system for human spaceflight."

ISRO successfully completed Drogue Parachute Deployment Qualification Tests for the Gaganyaan Crew Module at the RTRS facility of TBRL, Chandigarh, during 18–19 December 2025.
The tests confirmed the performance and reliability of the drogue parachutes under varying flight…

— ISRO (@isro) December 20, 2025

According to a release from the Space Agency, the deceleration system of the Gaganyaan Crew Module comprises 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 stabilising the Crew Module and also reducing its velocity to a safe level during re-entry.

As per the release, 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, the release asserted.

India is gearing up for the Gaganyaan project, which, according to ISRO, will launch a crew of three to an orbit of 400 km for three days and bring them back safely to Earth by landing in Indian waters.

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