# ISRO Completes Crew Module-Service Module Separation Tests Ahead of Gaganyaan G1 Mission

> ISRO completed Crew Module-Service Module separation tests for the Gaganyaan G1 uncrewed mission, validating pyrotechnic devices and shock survivability.

- Published: 2026-10-16T14:32:21+00:00
- Section: Research & Clinical Trials
- Author: News Desk
- URL: https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-16/isro-gaganyaan-separation-tests
- Source: [The Hindu](https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/gaganyaan-isro-completes-key-test-ahead-of-first-uncrewed-mission/article71592436.ece)

## Key takeaways

- ISRO completed a series of Crew Module-Service Module separation tests for the Gaganyaan G1 mission at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram.
- The tests simulated the severing of umbilical connections between the Crew Module and Service Module and validated pyrotechnic devices and shock survivability.
- The Gaganyaan mission envisages launching a crew of three members to a 400 km orbit for a three-day mission, with the G1 uncrewed launch targeted for this year.

The Indian Space Research Organisation has completed a series of Crew Module-Service Module separation tests for the Gaganyaan missions, ahead of the first uncrewed G1 mission targeted for launch this year. [The Hindu](https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/gaganyaan-isro-completes-key-test-ahead-of-first-uncrewed-mission/article71592436.ece) reported the tests were carried out at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram.

## How the Separation Tests Worked

The Gaganyaan Orbital Module comprises the Crew Module and Service Module, connected by a separation system. Electrical and fluid servicing between the two modules is ensured through umbilical connections, and the modules are integrated before launch and function as a single unit until the on-orbit phase ends.

Before re-entry into the earth's atmosphere, the Crew Module separates from the Service Module. The separation involves multiple precisely sequenced events using pyrotechnic devices and jettisoning systems.

ISRO said a test setup was realised at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre for simulating the overall Crew Module-Service Module assembly with extensive instrumentation. "The tests simulated the scenario of the CM-SM separation involving the severing of several umbilical connections between the CM and SM," the space agency said. ISRO added that the tests validated the design adequacy of the overall separation systems and demonstrated robustness and shock survivability of critical subsystems in the Crew Module.

Those subsystems include avionics systems, inertial navigation systems, the thermal protection system in the Aft and conical heat shield, the crew module deployable umbilical shield, and pyrotechnic devices of the crew module uprighting system and thermal and humidity control system. ISRO said the test provides necessary confidence in the functioning of the implemented separation system for the upcoming G1 mission.

## Earlier ISRO Robotics and Satellite Work

On October 13, 2026, Team Icarus from IIIT Dharwad secured fourth place in the ISRO Robotics Challenge-URSC 2026, winning a ₹2 lakh cash prize for an autonomous heavy-payload quadcopter designed for a simulated Mars-like environment without GPS connectivity, The Hindu reported. On October 11, 2026, ISRO official Jasvinder Singh Khoral said the Indo-French TRISHNA satellite will launch in 12-16 months, carrying TIR and VNIR-SWIR payloads for water resource monitoring, with data processed jointly in France and India, The Hindu reported. On October 9, 2026, PGI, ISRO, CFTRI and IIT Ropar launched a collaboration to study how space conditions affect nutrition and gut microbiota, aiming to optimize astronaut diets for the Gaganyaan mission, The Times of India reported.

## What Comes Next for Gaganyaan

The Gaganyaan mission envisages demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of three members to an orbit of 400 km for a three-day mission and bringing them back safely to earth, landing in Indian sea waters. The G1 uncrewed mission is targeted for launch this year.

## Companies in this story

- ISRO · website: https://www.isro.gov.in

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