Gaganyaan Mission: ISRO's first test flight launch aborted

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) aborted the first test flight for its ambitious Gaganyaan mission which was scheduled today at 8:45 am from its Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota. The maiden Flight Test Vehicle Abort Mission-1 (TV-D1) was to demonstrate the Crew Escape System (CES) performance.

Test vehicle lift-off could not happen today. Engine ignition has not happened in the nominal course. We have to find out what went wrong; vehicle is safe," ISRO Chief Somanath said after the launch was put on hold just five seconds ahead of the scheduled lift-off.

The primary objective of the Gaganyaan mission is to launch a crew of three members into an orbit 400 kilometres above Earth's surface for a three-day mission, safely returning them to Earth by landing in the Indian Sea waters. This mission is slated to take place in 2025.Astronauts for the mission, chosen from the Indian Air Force (IAF), are currently undergoing training at various ISRO facilities.