Indian_Space_Research_Organisation Tests SOLVE Motor for Gaganyaan

The India — ISRO (India — ISRO) successfully conducted the first ground test of the solid motor for its Sub-Orbital Launch Vehicle for Experiments (SOLVE) at the India — Satish Dhawan Space Centre on July 3, 2026. This test is a significant milestone for India's maiden human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan. The SOLVE rocket is designed as a dedicated test platform to validate critical systems, particularly the crew module's parachute-based deceleration system, by carrying the Gaganyaan crew module to an altitude of 10 to 17 kilometers before separation and a controlled splashdown. The solid propulsion stage of SOLVE is derived from the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle strap-on booster motor, with modifications for Gaganyaan's unique testing requirements, including a slow burn-rate propellant and a secondary injection thrust vector control system. This development provides India — ISRO with greater flexibility for repeated Gaganyaan test missions, ensuring the reliability of the recovery system before sending humans into space. The Gaganyaan mission aims to send a team of Indian astronauts into low-Earth orbit and safely return them, making India the fourth nation to achieve human spaceflight independently.