Technology & Science
ISRO Qualifies Drogue Parachutes for Gaganyaan Crew Module After High-Speed Sled Tests
On 18–19 Dec 2025, ISRO and DRDO fired a rocket-propelled sled at Chandigarh’s RTRS track, cleanly deploying and reefing two 5.8 m drogue parachutes, officially qualifying this critical deceleration stage for India’s first crewed flight.
Focusing Facts
- Both qualification runs at the Rail Track Rocket Sled facility met 100 % of test objectives on 18 & 19 Dec 2025, validating drogue chute reliability across varied flight envelopes.
- Gaganyaan’s crew-module deceleration stack uses 10 parachutes (4 types) in a fixed sequence: 2 apex-cover, 2 drogue, 3 pilot, 3 main.
- During testing, the sled reached roughly 600 km/h, simulating supersonic trans-sonic conditions expected during atmospheric re-entry.
Context
Parachute qualification may sound mundane, but recall that NASA’s Apollo drogue failures in May 1965 delayed the program by months, while USSR’s Soyuz-1 fatality in 1967 stemmed from chute malfunctions; crew survival hinges on this fabric. India’s test fits a larger arc: since the 2000s, rising spacefaring nations (China 2003, UAE targeting 2029) are building end-to-end human-flight ecosystems instead of buying seats from Russia. The collaboration with DRDO ballistics labs underscores a trend toward dual-use, military-civil integration in technology sovereignty. If Gaganyaan flies safely, it places India among the handful—US, Russia, China—that can launch and recover humans independently, a capability likely to define access to space resources over the next century. That said, ground sled success is only an early gate; real-flight dynamics over the Bay of Bengal will be the crucible. Still, ticking off this cruciform step nudges a 1.4 billion-person nation closer to owning a competency that, historically, fewer than 600 humans have trusted with their lives.
Perspectives
Right-leaning, pro-government broadcast/online outlets
Republic World, News18, DNA India — They hail the drogue-parachute tests as a "major boost" that proves the Modi government is driving India ever closer to historic human spaceflight success. By foregrounding quotes from Union minister Jitendra Singh and celebratory language, these outlets may oversell political leadership while skirting technical caveats or remaining risks.
Mainstream national broadsheets
The Indian Express, The Tribune — They report the tests as an essential technical milestone in the long checklist for Gaganyaan, detailing the multistage parachute sequence and upcoming launches. While informative and less triumphalist, their reliance on ISRO press material means they largely echo the agency’s optimism and provide little independent scrutiny of schedule or budget challenges.
Regional newspapers with a local-angle focus
The New Indian Express, Deccan Chronicle — They spotlight how Indian scientists at facilities in Bengaluru, Chandigarh and Nellore successfully qualified the drogue parachutes, underscoring regional contributions to the national mission. By framing the story around hometown institutions and researchers, they naturally emphasise regional pride and may underplay broader strategic or national-level debates about the mission’s cost–benefit.