ISRO's Reusable Launch Vehicle Prototype Executes Autonomous Landing With Flying Colours
The RLV LEX mission was carried out early on Sunday at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR), Chitradurga, Karnataka. A winged body was lifted by a helicopter to a height of 4.5 kilometres before being set free.
On Sunday, April 2, the reusable launch vehicle prototype of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) underwent a successful autonomous landing test or air-drop landing experiment.
ISRO successfully launches Reusable Launch Vehicle prototype
India ?? achieved it!
¡ª ISRO (@isro) April 2, 2023
ISRO, joined by @DRDO_India @IAF_MCC, successfully conducted the Reusable Launch Vehicle Autonomous Landing Mission (RLV LEX)
at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR), Chitradurga, Karnataka in the early hours on April 2, 2023.
The RLV LEX mission was carried out early on Sunday at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR), Chitradurga, Karnataka, in cooperation with the Defence Space Research Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Air Force (IAF).
In this mission, a winged body was lifted by a helicopter to a height of 4.5 kilometres before being set free to perform an autonomous landing on a runway.
On May 23, 2016, the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota launched the Reusable Launch Vehicle - Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) for the first time. Important technologies like autonomous navigation, guidance, and control as well as the reusable thermal protection system were successfully demonstrated as part of this experimental mission.
RLV lands on a runway pic.twitter.com/hXdKlII57J
¡ª ISRO (@isro) April 2, 2023
A video also surfaced from the site.
Hearty congratulations to team ISRO on the grand success of RLV LEX ( Reusable Launch Vehicle - Landing Experiment) Mission! pic.twitter.com/71s7kAsROl
¡ª Dr. P V Venkitakrishnan (@DrPVVenkitakri1) April 2, 2023
This was the second stage of the reusable launch
¡ª ISRO (@isro) April 2, 2023
The approach and autonomous landing of the prototype of a reusable launch vehicle on a runway was one of the crucial technologies that ISRO had to demonstrate. This landmark was reached by the Indian space agency as a result of the RLV-LEX mission.
This was the second stage of the reusable launch vehicle prototype's technology demonstration missions. For the mission, an Indian Air Force Chinook Helicopter carried the RLV-TD as an underslung load at 7:10 am IST.
1st pics
¡ª Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) April 2, 2023
We have a successful runway landing of the #indian Re-usable launch vehicle #tech demonstrator
This paves the way for developing a re-usable rocket &a re-usable orbiting space lab(the plane itself), which can land on runway
Congrats to @isro @DRDO_India @IAF_MCC ??? pic.twitter.com/AoSY33lT9o
According to an ISRO mission update, the RLV-TD reached a height of 4.5 kilometres above mean sea level. The RLV-TD was released into the atmosphere once the predetermined parameters were met. Ten parameters, including position, velocity, altitude, and body rates, were part of the release conditions.
The precise conditions needed for a spacecraft that has re-entered the atmosphere were met during the autonomous landing of RLV-TD.
At 350 kph, the vehicle demonstrated a high-speed autonomous landing.
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