COIMBATORE: India’s human spaceflight programme has received a boost with L&T Precision Engineering and Systems delivering the fourth set of the Crew Escape Ogive Shroud (CEOS) for the Gaganyaan-2 mission to the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro).The CEOS was manufactured at L&T’s advanced facility in Coimbatore and handed over to Isro last week. The component is part of the Crew Escape System (CES), a critical safety mechanism designed to move astronauts away from the launch vehicle in case of an emergency during lift-off or ascent.L&T said its Coimbatore facility was manufacturing several mission-critical hardware packages for the Gaganyaan programme. These include the Pitch Motor Compartment (PMC), CJM & LEM Structures (CLSL), Thrust Transfer Structures (HTS), CMAC and Crew Module structures, besides components for the Crew Escape System.The company said its quality assurance systems, layered inspections, validation procedures and stringent process controls enabled it to complete the delivery ahead of schedule. The achievement highlights the growing contribution of India’s private aerospace industry to the country’s indigenous human spaceflight programme.The CEOS forms an important part of this system and is intended to support the safety of astronauts during the mission.Codissia president V Rangaswamy said Coimbatore’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) were playing a key role in manufacturing and assembling specialised components for the space and defence sectors.He cited L&T’s supply of crew escape hardware for the Gaganyaan-2 mission as an example of the city’s growing aerospace capabilities. He added that several Codissia members are directly supplying components and equipment to major industry players and govt space projects.He added, “Coimbatore MSMEs are adopting advanced technologies and contributing significantly to the manufacture of critical equipment for the space and defence sectors,” while Codissia’s Defence Innovation and Atal Incubation Centre (CDIIC) has emerged as one of India’s leading facilities, supported by its ability to facilitate faster and dual-use manufacturing solutions.