ISRO successfully tested the Gaganyaan crew module in its final unmanned flight test on Wednesday, with the capsule splashing down safely in the Bay of Bengal after a 45-minute suborbital flight.
The test validated the crew escape system, life support systems, re-entry heat shield, and parachute deployment — all critical systems for the crewed mission.
The Gaganyaan mission will carry three Indian Air Force astronauts — Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla — to orbit for three days.
ISRO Chairman S Somanath called the test "a milestone that brings India one step closer to joining the elite club of spacefaring nations," alongside Russia, USA, and China.