New Delhi: The Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ARDRE) in Agra, operated by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) had signed an MoU with the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapural towards development of the deceleration system for recovery of the crew module on the Gaganyaan missions. As part of this MoU, a series of tests were conducted for two-stage reefed main parachute. The approach limits the infalation loads, staggering the deployment of the parachutes. The tests were used to optimise the parachute material and reduce the overall mass of the deceleration system.

The techniques will allow ISRO to save on the mass of the parachutes used in the Gaganyaan programme, as well as the associated components. ARDRE conducted an aerial drop test of the main parachute with a diametre of 25 metres for the two stage reefing, which is the first time that any two stage reefed parachute was used in the country. The test was conducted on 3 December 2025, to demonstrate the opening of the main parachute in three steps, with differential time delay of the reefing line cutter. The test was conducted using a dummy load of 500 kg dropped from an AN-32 cargo aircraft from an altitude of 500 metres above Agra.

The Gaganyaan parachute system

The DRDO is supporting ISRO towards the development of the Gaganyaan parachutes, with the drogue parachutes being tested at the Rail Track Rocket Sled (RTRS) facility at the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL) in Chandigarh. The Gaganyaan crew capsule will use four types of parachutes to shed velocity during the descent, following the reentry at the end of an orbital flight. First a pair of apex cover separation parachutes will pull off the protective cover of the parachute compartment, followed by a pair of drogue parachutes that stabilise the crew module and pull out three pilot parachutes, which then pull out the three main parachute, that use the two-stage reefing method to slow down the crew module for a gentle splashdown.