Tata Elxsi, a leading global design company that blends technology, creativity, and engineering has partnered with the prestigious Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to enable the upcoming Gaganyaan Mission. Through the association, Tata Elxsi has designed and developed Crew Module Recovery Models (CMRM) for recovery team training of the space Mission.
ISRO's Gaganyaan project envisions a demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching the crew into a 400-kilometer orbit for a three-day Mission and safely bringing them to Earth by landing in Indian sea waters. One of the key requirements of this project is the safe recovery of the crew, which must be carried out with minimum lapse of time. This is where the crew recovery models come into use. For recovery team training, CMRMs designed and fabricated by Tata Elxsi, that simulated the Mass, Centre of gravity, Outer Dimensions, interfaces and Externals of the actual Crew Module.
Tata Elxsi effectively executed activities right from developing the design configuration in accordance with the initial requirements provided by ISRO, to carrying out structural analysis for various load cases, material procurement and testing, fabrication, carrying out load tests, and transportation of the CMRM and the Ground Support Fixture (GSF).
The project marked Tata Elxsi’s foray into the mechanical design for space, as this is the first time ISRO has outsourced the mechanical design and development work for a critical system to an external partner. Tata Elxsi has also emerged as the preferred partner for similar ISRO projects.