ISRO’s Third Reusable Launch Vehicle Landing Experiment

Jun 11, 2024

Font size:

Context:

ISRO plans to advance its Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) programme with the third and final landing experiment, RLV LEX.

- Objective: To demonstrate the feasibility of reusable launch vehicles by testing landing procedures.
- Test Vehicle: The mission involves releasing an unmanned winged prototype called “Pushpak” from a designated height.
  - It will be lifted to a height of 4.5 kilometres and positioned 500 metres to one side of the runway using an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter.
- Landing Process: Pushpak will autonomously approach the runway, making crossrange, downrange, and altitude corrections to touch down safely.
- Focus Areas: The mission will study sink rate reduction and handle tailwind conditions.

- LEX-02: Successfully conducted on March 22, 2024, with a lateral distance of 150 metres from the runway.

Development and Design: Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) at Thumba is responsible for the design and development of Pushpak.

- ISRO plans to proceed with the next stage of tests under the RLV-Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) program.
  - An unmanned Orbital Re-entry Vehicle (ORV).
  - 1.6 times the size of Pushpak, will be used in orbit experiments.
- The ORV will feature a thermal protection system and a retractable landing gear.
- This mission is expected within the next two years.

future holds for isro.

Goal: Reduce space access costs through a reusable launch vehicle.
Programme: RLV-TD (Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstration)
- A series of missions will be undertaken to develop technologies for a two-stage to-orbit (TSTO) reusable vehicle.
- Winged RLV-TD acts as a flying test bed for various air-breathing propulsion technologies.

- RLV-TD HEX-01 (May 23, 2016): The maiden mission successfully showcased re-entry vehicle design and flight testing technologies, with a suborbital flight designed for sea landing.

- RLV Landing Experiment (RLV-LEX): The project tackles the challenge of autonomous landing on a runway by using a helicopter to transport RLV to altitude and then land on the runway.

- RLV Orbital re-entry Experiment (ORE): It is a spacecraft that uses existing GSLV/PSLV stages to stay in orbit, then autonomously re-enters and lands on a runway.

Mission Readiness Review

MRR is a critical step in the launch preparation process for space missions conducted by the ISRO.
It is conducted by a dedicated MRR committee and the Launch Authorisation Board (LAB) to clear the countdown and launch of ISRO missions.
- For example, completed the 28-hour countdown and launch of the PSLV-C37 mission in February 2017.
The MRR reviews the readiness of all systems, subsystems, and procedures to ensure the mission can be executed safely and successfully.
It is a mandatory review before any ISRO launch to assess the preparedness and provide the final go-ahead for the mission.

Talk to our expert