ISRO Successfully Executes Landing Experiment of Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstration

In a significant milestone for India’s space program, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully carried out the landing experiment of its Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstration (RLV-TD) programme. The experiment was conducted at the Aeronautical Test Range in Challakere, Chitradurga on Sunday.

The RLV-TD was dropped from a height of 4.5 km by an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter, and the landing was executed as planned. ISRO reported that the release of the RLV was autonomous, and it performed approach and landing manoeuvres using an Integrated Navigation, Guidance, and Control system. The RLV-TD completed an autonomous landing on the airstrip at 7:40 am.

The RLV-TD has a configuration similar to that of an aircraft and combines the complexity of both launch vehicles and aircraft. ISRO stated that in a first for the world, a winged body has been carried to an altitude of 4.5 km by helicopter and released for carrying an autonomous landing on a runway.

The successful completion of this landing experiment is a significant step towards developing a fully reusable space vehicle, which would drastically reduce the cost of space launches. This achievement places India among a select group of nations that are working towards developing reusable launch vehicles.