Reusable launch vehicle RLV-TD
India has successfully launched the first technology demonstrator of indigenously made Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV), capable of launching satellites into orbit around earth and then re-enter the atmosphere. The experiment is also known as hypersonic flight experiment.
- Being dubbed a complete ‘Made-in-India’ effort, the Reusable Launch-Vehicle – Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) is the first time that ISRO launches an indigenous space craft with delta wings.
- The test launch is considered a significant step in India’s space endeavour. It’s especially important because in 2011, the U.S.’s Nasa abandoned its reusable space shuttle project.
Key facts:
- The 6.5 meter long Re-usable Launch Vehicle – Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) weighs about 1.7 tons.
- Built over five years by a team of 600 scientists, the project cost around Rs 95 crore.
- The project is also being called a hyper-sonic experiment (HEX) as it will also test the ability of the vehicle to withstand re-entry at speeds higher than that of sound.
- This was the first time that ISRO flew a winged body and brought it back to land on a make-shift runway.
- Dubbed as India’s own space shuttle, RLVs are being seen as the unanimous solution towards achieving low cost, reliable and on-demandspace access.
