This new technology will help ISRO land payloads on Mars

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) tested its Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (IAD) technology that finds significant applications for future missions, including those on Mars and Venus.

Informing about the launch, ISRO tweeted on Saturday, “ISRO successfully demonstrated the new technology with Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (IAD). IAD was test-flown today in a Rohini-sounding rocket from TERLS, Thumba”

What is IAD technology?

Designed and developed by ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), this technology will land a payload back on Earth by decelerating the fall at the required level.

It was successfully test flown in a ‘Rohini’ sounding rocket that is frequently used for flight demonstration, from Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station.

The IAD, which was initially folded and kept inside the payload bay of the rocket, got inflated at around 84 km altitude, decelerating velocity of the payload by aerodynamic drag and then traced the predetermined trajectory through the atmosphere.

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What are the applications of this new technology ?

The space agency has said that this new technology has been designed specifically for spent stage recovery. Like SpaceX doing it with first stage recovery, this technology will help ISRO reuse rocket parts.

“This is the first time that an IAD is designed specifically for spent stage recovery. All the objectives of the mission were successfully demonstrated,” ISRO said.

Other than this, the technology can be employed for landing payloads on to Mars or Venus and in preparing space habitats for human spaceflight missions.

ISRO Chairman S Somanath, who was present during the launch said, “This demonstration opens a gateway for cost-effective spent stage recovery using the Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator technology and this IAD technology can also be used in ISRO’s future missions to Venus and Mars.”