Which of the following correctly describes the parachute system validated in the IADT-02 air drop test of Gaganyaan on April 10, 2026?

Explanation

ISRO's IADT-02 on April 10, 2026 tested the Crew Module recovery system, not a generic drop mechanism. A simulated Crew Module of about 5.7 tonnes, equivalent in mass to the Crew Module planned for the first uncrewed Gaganyaan mission, was lifted by an Indian Air Force Chinook to about 3 km and released over a sea drop zone near the Sriharikota coast. During descent, ten parachutes of four types opened in a precise sequence, gradually reducing the module's velocity for safe touchdown and recovery. The test therefore validated Gaganyaan's parachute-based deceleration system for sea recovery, with the Indian Navy involved in recovering the module.

Why the other options are wrong

• (A) IADT-02 used ten parachutes of four types in a precise sequence, so two parachutes of one type deployed simultaneously misstates both the system size and the deployment logic.
• (B) The validated recovery design was not a single main parachute; ISRO describes ten parachutes of four types slowing the module during descent.
• (C) IADT-02 specifically validated parachute-based deceleration systems, so a retro-rocket-only description with no parachutes contradicts the tested recovery method.

Concept

This tests Science and Technology current affairs through the applied engineering of India's Gaganyaan mission. It recurs in RAS because space-mission questions often ask candidates to connect a headline test with the actual system being validated.

Source

• Indian Space Research Organisation

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