Gaganyaan test vehicle lifts off, crew module splashes in Bay of Bengal

On Saturday, the test vehicle carrying payloads relevant to crew safety for the highly ambitious Gaganyaan human space flight mission successfully launched off from Sriharikota. The crew escape mechanism and crew module were released during a brief test flight sequence at a height of 17 km, and they safely touched down in the sea approximately 10 km east of Sriharikota, India.

Shortly after the splash, Isro chief S Somanath stated, "I am very happy to announce the successful accomplishment of the TV-D1 Mission."

The Navy would later recover the crew module from the Bay of Bengal.

The purpose of the test flight was to conduct crew module characteristics, showcase and assess the test vehicle's subsystems, crew escape mechanisms, including various separation systems, and show off the test vehicle's higher altitude deceleration systems and their recovery.