New Delhi: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully completed a series of Crew Module (CM)–Service Module (SM) separation tests for the Gaganyaan programme, the space agency announced, validating the design of the separation system ahead of the first uncrewed mission, G1, which is targeted for launch in 2026, PTI reported.

The Gaganyaan Orbital Module consists of two parts: the Crew Module, where the astronauts will travel, and the Service Module, which provides propulsion, power and other support in orbit. The two are connected through a separation system, with electrical and fluid servicing between them ensured through umbilical connections. The modules are integrated before launch and function as a single unit from launch until the on-orbit phase is complete. Before the capsule re-enters Earth's atmosphere, the Crew Module must separate from the Service Module through a series of precisely sequenced events involving pyrotechnic devices and jettisoning systems — a manoeuvre that has to work perfectly, because the crew capsule returns to Earth on its own behind its heat shield.

To validate the overall design of the separation system, ISRO conducted the tests at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram. The test setup simulated the integrated Crew Module–Service Module assembly and carried extensive instrumentation to assess the separation process, including the severing of the multiple umbilical connections between the two modules.

According to ISRO, the tests not only validated the design adequacy of the separation system but also demonstrated the robustness and shock-survivability of several critical Crew Module subsystems. These include the avionics systems, the inertial navigation systems, the Thermal Protection System in the aft and conical heat shields, the Crew Module Deployable Umbilical Shield, and pyrotechnic devices associated with the Crew Module Uprighting System and the Thermal and Humidity Control System.

The agency said the results provide the necessary confidence in the functioning of the CM–SM separation system for the upcoming first uncrewed Gaganyaan mission (G1), targeted for launch in 2026. Gaganyaan is India's human spaceflight programme, aimed at sending Indian astronauts into orbit and bringing them back safely; a series of uncrewed test missions is planned before the first crewed flight. (Sources: PTI via The Hindu BusinessLine, October 17, 2026; ISRO statement via ANI-syndicated reports, October 17, 2026)