India’s space agency said it has successfully completed two short-duration “hot” firings of the Gaganyaan Service Module Propulsion System, a critical element of the country’s first human-spaceflight programme. Conducted on 3 July at the ISRO Propulsion Complex in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu, the 30-second and 100-second trials verified the propulsion unit’s configuration and stability. During the longer test, engineers simultaneously operated all five 440-newton Liquid Apogee Motors and all sixteen 100-newton Reaction Control System thrusters in both steady and pulsed modes, confirming the system’s ability to perform orbital manoeuvres and crew-abort functions. Preliminary data matched pre-test predictions, ISRO said. The 440-newton engine type had failed earlier this year in the NVS-02 navigation-satellite mission, prompting additional safeguards and design tweaks for Gaganyaan. With the latest results in hand, ISRO plans a full-duration firing before integrating the propulsion module for the uncrewed Gaganyaan G-1 test flight, slated as the next milestone on the path to flying Indian astronauts.