ISRO successfully lands India's first reusable launch vehicle 'Pushpak'
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has made a significant stride in reusable launch vehicle (RLV) technology today. The successful execution of the RLV LEX-02 landing experiment signifies a substantial leap in ISRO's ongoing development of this tech. This experiment, conducted at the Aeronautical Test Range in Chitradurga, Karnataka, is the second in a sequence of such initiatives by ISRO.
Latest experiment demonstrates autonomous landing capability
After the triumphant completion of the RLV-LEX-01 mission last year, ISRO's most recent experiment demonstrated the autonomous landing ability of an RLV under off-nominal initial conditions. The RLV was deployed from a helicopter and performed complex maneuvers autonomously. "The RLV was made to undertake more difficult maneuvers with dispersions, correct both cross-range and downrange and land on the runway in a fully autonomous mode," ISRO reported.
Precision landing exhibited by ISRO's winged vehicle Pushpak
The winged vehicle, dubbed Pushpak, was lifted by an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter and released from an altitude of 4.5km. After its release, Pushpak autonomously navigated toward the runway while making cross-range corrections. It achieved a precise landing on the runway and halted using its brake parachute, landing gear brakes, and nose wheel steering system.
Successful mission revalidates indigenous technologies by ISRO
ISRO underscored that the mission successfully replicated the approach and high-speed landing conditions similar to those faced by an RLV upon re-entry from space. "With this second mission, ISRO has re-validated indigenously developed technologies in the areas of navigation, control systems, landing gear and deceleration systems essential for performing a high-speed autonomous landing of a space-returning vehicle," ISRO declared. The winged body and all flight systems used in the previous RLV-LEX-01 mission were reused in this latest experiment.
Collaborative efforts culminate in successful mission
The successful implementation of this mission was made possible through the combined efforts of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), the Liquid Propulsion System Centre (LPSC), and the ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU). ISRO Chairman S Somanath extended his congratulations to the team for the impeccable execution of this complex mission. Dr S Unnikrishnan Nair, Director of VSSC, stressed that through this repeated success, ISRO has mastered terminal phase maneuvering, landing, and energy management in a fully autonomous mode.
