Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has successfully executed the landing mission of its first Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) named ‘Pushpak’. The test was conducted at 7.10 am on Friday at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) at Challakere near Chitradurga, Karnataka. This is the second test of this series. ISRO Chairman S Somnath and other senior officials were also present at the launch site.
After this test, ISRO wrote on Twitter, “ISRO has once again done wonders! Pushpak (RLV-TD), the winged vehicle, landed independently with precision on the runway after being released from the off-nominal position.” Along with this, ISRO said that it has achieved a major achievement in the field of reusable launch vehicle technology through the ‘RLV LEX-02’ landing experiment.
Following last year’s RLV-LEX-01 mission, RLV-LEX-02 demonstrated the autonomous landing capability of a reusable launch vehicle (RLV) after being launched from a helicopter, the space agency said in a statement. “The RLV is designed to perform more difficult maneuvers with spread, correcting both ‘cross-range’ and ‘downrange’ and landing on the runway in a fully autonomous mode,” the statement said.
ISRO said that the Chinook helicopter of the Indian Air Force carried the winged vehicle named Pushpak and it was released from a height of 4.5 kilometers. He said that after being launched at a distance of four kilometers from the runway, ‘Pushpak’ autonomously made ‘cross-range’ correction and reached the runway. It successfully landed on the runway using its brake parachute, landing gear brakes and nose wheel steering system in a precise manner.
Features of Pushpak Vimana
Pushpak is a reusable launching aircraft. It is a plane that looks like an airplane with wings.
Its length is 6.5 meters and weight is 1.75 tonnes. This aircraft is equipped with robotic landing capability.
The onboard navigation system is capable of landing at a high speed of 350 kilometers per hour to overcome obstacles around the runway.
This can prove to be effective in making access to space affordable. Its upper part is equipped with the most expensive equipment. It can be made reusable by bringing it back to earth.
Being reusable, it will reduce debris in space. It will also help in refueling a satellite in space later or bringing it back for repair.
Pushpak aircraft uses state-of-the-art technology including navigation hardware and software, Ka-band radar altimeter, navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) receiver, sensors, indigenous landing gear and aerofoil honeycomb wings etc.
what did isro say
ISRO informed that all the flight systems used in RLV-LEX-01 were reused in the RLV-LEX-02 mission after proper certification/clearance thereby enhancing the reusability of flight hardware and flight systems in this mission. was also demonstrated.
Based on observations from RLV-LEX-01, the airframe structure and landing gear were strengthened to carry higher loads during descent. The mission was accomplished by Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC) in collaboration with Liquid Propulsion Systems Center (LPSC) and ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU).
ISRO Chairman S Somnath congratulated the team for the flawless execution of this complex mission. Dr S Unnikrishnan Nair, Director, VSSC, said on this success that through success in this area, ISRO can master the maneuvering, landing and energy management of the terminal stage in a completely autonomous mode, which is an important step towards the future. Is step. (with language inputs)
