Gaganyaan On March 18, a SpaceX capsule carrying NASA astronauts Sunita Williams, Barry “Butch” Wilmore, and Nick Hague, along with Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov, safely splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico. Their homecoming, nine months after embarking on a mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS), not only completed a test mission but also illustrated just how crucial imperceptible safety procedures are to human spaceflight. Each phase of flight, from takeoff through landing, is supported by systems that will insulate astronauts from physical and psychological injury. While India prepares its maiden human space mission, Gaganyaan, ISRO is being very cautious to add such provisions, drawing lessons from past accidents and latest technology.
Learning from the Past: Launchpad Tragedies and Safety Innovations
Human spaceflight starts on the launchpad — and history has taught us just how deadly that first step could turn out to be. In 1967, tragedy befell NASA’s Apollo-1 mission with a fire erupting within the capsule during testing that took the lives of all three crew members. In an effort to avoid a repeat of such accidents, ISRO has invested in emergency systems on its second launchpad at Sriharikota, featuring ziplines and a fireproof bubble lift for rapid evacuation in case of an emergency. These safety installations are the front line of defense, and they are a stark reminder that safety is even the top priority before liftoff.
The Critical Seconds After Liftoff
After the rocket takes off from the ground, there is no going back — but there are escape routes. For Gaganyaan, ISRO’s human-rated Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3) has a tower structure specifically designed to accommodate the Crew Escape System. This system ensures that if something goes wrong after ignition, the crew module can rapidly detach and be propelled away from danger. Unlike regular satellite-launching versions of LVM3, the human-rated version prioritizes crew safety, using what’s called a “tractor” escape system. This scheme lifts the capsule up with solid-fuel engines in the tower of escape, a far cry from the “pusher” method employed in SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, pushing the capsule off the rocket via engines at the bottom.
Escape Modes: A Plan for Every Altitude
ISRO’s Crew Escape System is an efficient and smart security measure. It functions in varied modes depending upon how high the rocket has gone. There are two motors: the Low-altitude Escape Motor (LEM) and the High-altitude Escape Motor (HEM). The LEM activates early in flight, and the HEM is kept for high-altitude emergencies. In situations such as pad aborts — something goes wrong shortly after ignition — both motors fire to rapidly move the capsule away to a safe distance. It isn’t on paper; it has saved lives. When Soyuz T-10 caught fire on the launchpad in 1983, its escape system performed perfectly. Likewise, on the Blue Origin New Shepard NS-23 mission in 2022, the system fired in mid-flight and the capsule safely returned.
In Orbit: Dual Modules, One Goal
In orbit, the crew module — basically the home of the astronauts — departs from the escape system, which is jettisoned for weight savings. The Gaganyaan spacecraft has two modules: the living crew module and the service module carrying propulsion, power, and control systems. In case of an emergency while in orbit, the propulsion systems of both modules can return the capsule to Earth. Although Gaganyaan is not designed to dock at a space station, its crew is being prepared in regular orbital procedures, such as docking and handling of a space emergency.
Safety Net in Space
Though Gaganyaan is not docking with the ISS, it will still have essential space safety measures in place. In the past missions, when a spacecraft failed or didn’t work properly, agencies would keep backup capsules on standby. For example, when the capsule that took Williams and Wilmore malfunctioned, NASA sent up another one with empty seats for their return. This habit of keeping two capsules — an American and a Russian — available at the ISS is similar to having a lifeboat in reserve at all times. In the event of emergencies like fires, radiation storms, or collisions with debris, the ISS has safe areas that can be isolated to shield astronauts until rescue.
Reentry: The Most Hazardous Phase
Coming back to Earth might appear to be the last mile, but it’s possibly the most dangerous. Spacecraft have to enter the atmosphere accurately, dealing with temperatures and speeds that are too high. In descent, the Gaganyaan capsule will face temperatures as high as 1,800°C. The heat shield insulates the crew from this incandescent world, while retrograde thrusters and a high-tech parachute system provide a gentle, controlled landing. At an altitude of 15.3 km, the first parachutes of the capsule deploy to decelerate. These are followed by drogue chutes and finally three main parachutes that decrease the rate of descent to a gentle 10-12 m/s. The parachutes are severed by a pyrotechnic system before splashdown. ISRO’s Gaganyaan mission is a giant leap forward for Indian space science and human exploration. Through lessons from decades of spaceflight history — successes and failures — ISRO is constructing a system where astronaut safety takes center stage. With its first crewed mission set to take off shortly, ISRO’s stringent safety protocols, rigorous training, and global learnings make one thing evident: India is embarking on the next stage of space exploration with ambition as well as responsibility.
