Gaganyaan mission today: ISRO to launch uncrewed flight test from Sriharikota

Update at 8:53 am: The test flight launch has been put on hold due to issues with the engine ignition. The vehicle is safe

Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh): The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to launch an uncrewed flight test on Saturday morning, marking the first step towards the Gaganyaan mission.

The first unmanned flight test designated as the Test Vehicle Development Flight Mission-1 (TV-D1 Flight Test), is scheduled to be launched from Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota by ISRO today at 8 a.m.

ISRO announced the countdown for the launch with a post on 'X', stating, "The countdown leading to the launch at 08:00 Hrs. IST on October 21, 2023, has commenced."

This flight test vehicle abort mission will demonstrate the performance of the Crew Escape system as part of the Gaganyaan mission. It will also test the safe landing in the Bay of Bengal after the rocket launch.

This mission represents a significant milestone in India's effort to demonstrate that it is possible to send humans into space.