Melbourne [Australia], July 9 (ANI): In a major boost to India’s space ambitions, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday announced the establishment of a temporary space tracking facility on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands to support India’s first human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan.
The announcement came during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who met Albanese during the second leg of his three-nation visit.
The two leaders shared a warm handshake as they posed for the media in Melbourne, highlighting the growing strategic partnership between the two countries.
Addressing reporters, Albanese emphasized the expanding cooperation between Australia and India in space and technology.
“As we expand our cooperation in space and technology, we have agreed to commission a temporary space tracking terminal on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, which will support India’s landmark Gaganyaan Human Space Flight Programme,” Albanese said.
The announcement comes as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) recently achieved a key milestone by successfully conducting a validation test of the main parachute system designed for the Gaganyaan crew module.
According to an official statement, the critical drop test was carried out Tuesday at the Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE) facility in Sheopur, Madhya Pradesh.
Describing the test, ISRO said Wednesday, “The objective of this test was to qualify the main parachute for its structural integrity and design margins under the maximum expected load conditions in the first uncrewed Gaganyaan G1 mission.”
During the trial, a simulated payload consisting of a single main parachute attached to a dummy mass was dropped from an altitude of 2.5 kilometers from an Indian Air Force IL-76 transport aircraft.
Following the release, a drogue parachute was deployed first to stabilize the payload.
ISRO said the parachute system is designed to stabilize the crew module and significantly reduce its descent speed before landing.
The main parachute was then successfully deployed, slowing the payload to a safe terminal velocity.
Highlighting the significance of the exercise, ISRO said the test marked another important step toward certifying the crew recovery system.
“This is the fifth test in a series of Integrated Main Parachute Airdrop Tests (IMAT) to qualify the critical main parachute for the Gaganyaan Mission. The successful completion of IMAT-05 provides the necessary confidence in the performance and reliability of the Main Parachute System for the first uncrewed Gaganyaan Mission (G1),” ISRO said. (ANI)
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